


From Now On

by iamirondad



Series: Iron Dad Adoption AU [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Mother-Son Relationship, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 19:25:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 134
Words: 201,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19362871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamirondad/pseuds/iamirondad
Summary: The Parker Family worked alongside the Starks since the creation of the company.Following a tragic accident that leaves Peter Parker without a family, Tony goes against the pleas of the people closest to him and decides to adopt Peter. The duo fight against unpredictable odds as they enter a universe bigger than they truly understand. [Pre-Iron Man through to Endgame]There is now a revamped version of this, over at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406203/chapters/53531419





	1. The Last Parker

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you, yes you! Stop. 
> 
> You are free to read on, but I am currently in the middle of republishing this fanfiction with better structure and imagination. 
> 
> I feel like this needed improvement, so I am republishing with longer chapters and better grammar! It's better than this, but you can keep going, I won't stop you but if you are interested in the upgraded edition, here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406203/chapters/53531419

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PSA: To make my job easier, this takes place in New York, instead of Malibu. Nothing much changes besides names of places etc. Their Malibu mansion will make an appearance later on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfiction has been a journey, to say the least. I have enjoyed every single moment while writing this, and I really hope you all enjoy the ride.
> 
> Updates will be regular. Homecoming is up next.

**June 2002**

Tony Stark could handle whatever life threw at him. He could go a week without sleep, or survive hour-long meetings about subjects he already knew everything about. He could deal with unnaturally loud casinos, and the press twisting everything he did to fit their depiction of who he was. He could do all of that without batting an eyelid.

The only thing that he couldn't handle was Obadiah Stane's constant whining. His business partner had been at his throat since Tony had taken over the company. Like Howard Stark before him, Stane believed that Tony should devote his time to the company, and leave room for little else.

"What is this?" Stane barked, pushing the blueprints Tony had carefully organised on his desk.

Tony brought his fingers to the brim of his nose, he leaned back in his chair to look up at Stane, who was glaring down at him, "Don't do that." He brushed his hand over the plans to rid the creases that Stane had created.

Stane leaned over and shoved the plans over the desk, the force of his movement tore one of the sheets down the middle. Tony tossed his pencil down and crossed his arms over his chest.

Stane placed a hand on his hip, "Are you even listening to me?!"

Tony bit his lip trying to conceal a smirk "No, were you talking?"

"Tony…" Stane said through gritted teeth, "What are you _doing_?"

"I'm designing something."

Stane exhaled deeply, "For the company?"

"No," He held up his finger to stop Stane from shouting, "But I'm allowed to have side projects."

"Not when they get in the way of what you should actually be doing!"

"Obi, Obi, Obi." Tony stood up, attempting to gain higher ground in their argument. He placed a hand on Stane's shoulder but moved it away cautiously when he noticed how tense and angry Stane was; he gestured back to the plans on the table, "I can balance work and social life. We released a shipment of new rifles last week."

"What is this _side project_ of yours!?"

"I'm calling it _Just A Rather Very Intelligent System._ " Tony told him; Stane balled his hands into fists, " _Jarvis_ for short."

"Do you think you're funny?"

"When it's done it will be amazing…" Tony said, "And Uncle Jarvis would hopefully be proud."

"Tony...." He said in his usual obnoxious tone that Tony had grown to despise.

"Obi…" Tony said mockingly, "It's almost ten, an old man like you should be heading off to bed."

"This isn't over." Stane pointed out as he walked towards the exit.

Tony rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "It never is."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." He hummed, "Goodnight Obi."

Stane went to say something, but he cut himself off when Pepper Potts came crashing through the main doors, she stopped in her tracks to catch her breath. Her face was devoid of colour, and her hands were visibly shaking around the phone in her hand.

Tony stepped over, "Potts, what's wrong?"

"Umm…" She blinked away tears, "I'm sorry, Tony.."

"What's going on?" Tony asked, dread settling on his chest. Her haunted expression reflected the one his godmother, Peggy, had been wearing when she told him his parents died, "Potts?"

"I just had a call…" Pepper swallowed the lump in her throat, "There was an accident...involving the Parkers."

"The Parkers!?!" Stane exclaimed as Tony tried to process the information.

Tony stared at her, trying not to crumble, "Are they…."

"They didn't make it," Pepper cried.

Tony brought a shaking fist to his face leaning his chin on it, "Shit...who…."

"It was a car accident," She hiccuped, "It was Richard, Mary, Ben and his wife May."

Tony's heart plummeted as his mind turned to his godson, "Um, Pet--Peter?"

"Peter's alive."

Tony sighed in relief, and weight shifted off his shoulders. Although it was a tragedy, and he had lost some of his closest friends, he couldn't help but find solace, knowing Peter was still alive.

"The detective needs you to head down; you were their…" Pepper sighed, "You were their first emergency contact."

"Got it." Tony scrambled out of his chair and grabbed his jacket.

Stane let out a deep exhale, "What a shame, the Parkers were great partners."

"Don't be so damn clinical about this," Tony scowled, "They weren't just business partners, they were our friends."

"Tony…"

Tony turned on his foot to face Pepper; he softened his expression and tone, "Where do I need to go?"

"112th Precinct, Austin Street," Pepper told him, "It was...an officer Gamble who phoned me."

"Okay." Without another word Tony rushed out, leaving a grief-stricken Pepper stood alone with indignant Stane, both paralysed to spot with the same thought running through their heads, _what was going to happen now?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to dedicate this work to three of my amazing Tumblr mutuals:
> 
> libsterrocks1414: We became friends because you messaged me about this fanfiction, and since, we've spoken every day. I love our conversations! Thank you for being so amazing and inspiring me on more than one occasion. 
> 
> i-thought-you-and-i: Thank you for always answering my random messages when I'm panicking about specific chapters or aspects, not making sense. You've been a great help. I hope you love it!
> 
> afangirlwashere: Thank you for sending me asks, and songs to help me through the writing process on this. You are the best.


	2. A Primal Instinct

The 112th Precinct was empty, especially for a Friday night. Tony was thankful for that, the last thing he needed was to be noticed. Not on a night like this, not after he _lost_ everything. He didn’t want the news of the Parker’s accident reaching the new tabloids prematurely, the station would be swamped by reporters and civilians, and Tony didn’t want Peter, a 10-month-old _orphan_ , to suddenly be the centre of attention.

Tony hovered in the entrance way, paralysed to the spot. He had hurried over as fast as he could, he was sure he had broken many laws as he drove, but he didn’t care. Entering the station, the gravity of the situation settled on his shoulders. The Parkers were gone, and they were never coming back.

“Mr. Stark?”

He looked up at the source of the voice; a woman was stood in uniform, a few steps in front of him, “Oh, hey, _yeah_. It’s me, umm.”

“Thank you for coming down,” She said softly, “I’m Officer Gamble, I’m so sorry about what had happened,” She gestured back, “Would you like to sit down?”

Tony pushed his sunglasses up his nose, “No.” He shook his head, “What happened?”

“They were involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver,” She explained; Tony clenched his fists, “The driver survived, and he is in police custody, so don’t worry.”

 _I will never let him see the light of day again_ , Tony thought. The Parkers deserved far better than losing their lives in such a gratuitous manner.

“Okay, I just need to ask some questions.” She told him, “You were listed as Mary and Richard Parker’s only emergency contacts, did they have any other relatives we can contact?”

“No, only Ben and May.” Tony told her, “Richard and Ben’s parents both died a few years ago and Mary...Mary’s parents died when she was a teenager. I’m not, I’m not sure about May.”

“That’s alright, May Parker’s family are already here.”

“Okay,” Tony crossed his arms, “ _Peter_ , Richard and Mary’s son.”

“He wasn’t in the accident,” She told him, “He was in the care of a babysitter. We have placed him with CPS for the night.”

“CPS?”

“Child Protective Services,” She explained, “They work with cases of an orphaned child, like Peter.”

“Got it...”

“Are you okay with us passing on your information to them so they can contact you in the morning?”

“Yes, that sounds like a plan.”

“You can wait over here while I call them,” She gestured to a row of seats in the corner of the room.

“Okay,” Tony muttered before walking over, he sat down at the end of the aisle as Gamble went over to her desk.

“Mr. Stark?” A woman sat a few chairs away said, she blinked away tears, “Sorry, I’m June, May’s cousin.”

“Okay, hello,” He swallowed, “I’m sorry--”

“I’m sorry too.” She said softly, “This is so horrible. I feel for...Richard’s son, what’s his name?”

“Peter.”

“Oh, bless his heart,” She sighed, “So young to have lost his parents.”

Tony hummed, knowing precisely what it was like to be an orphan, though Peter was too young to understand the loss, “Miss…”

“ _Reilly_ , but you can call me June.”

“June,” Tony took off his sunglasses, he hooked them on his shirt, “I know this is so soon, but I just want to say, I will cover funeral costs for all of them and I’ll sort everything out. It’s the least I can do for them now.”

“I will discuss it with my family,” She said, “But thank you, so much.”

“It’s no problem.”

Another woman stepped over sitting down next to June, she was crying, loudly and unashamed, “Oh Carmen,” June cried; Carmen’s face feel into June’s shoulder, June wrapped her arm around her, “It’s okay.” Carmen was clearly younger than June, but only by a few years, Tony assumed they were sisters. He tried not to stare, but it was quite difficult to look anywhere else.

Carmen bent back wiping tears from her eyes, she scanned Tony before turning to June, “ _I can’t believe this is happening_ ,” She cried out, in Italian.

Tony darted his eyes away to the floor; he knew he couldn’t interrupt their personal conversation, not while they were talking about losing their cousin, in such a tragic way. Part of him thought about interrupting them, to tell them he spoke Italian and could understand what they were saying. He just didn’t have it in his heart to cut into their conversation.

“ _I know_ ,” June sighed, “ _This is so unfair_.”

“ _Why is he here_?” Carmen asked, clearly referring to Tony.

“ _He worked with Richard_.”

“ _Right_ ,” Carmen sniffled, “ _What’s happening with Richard’s son_?”

“ _I don’t know_.” June admitted, “ _He’ll probably go into the foster system._ ”

“No.” Tony cut in, both women turned to look at him, utterly stunned.

Tony didn’t know what he was saying or doing. A thought crossed his mind, a primal instinct that he didn’t have time to contemplate, as the women were staring at him, waiting for him to finish what he was saying. He didn’t have time to think over the implications of the thought, the instant change that he would have to make to his life. The idea was single-handedly the worst but best decision that had he had ever had, and he knew it was the one he had to make.

“Peter’s coming home with me.”

* * *

Before June and Carmen had the chance to respond to Tony, he politely excused himself before rushing outside, he took out his phone and quickly dialled, and held it up to his ear, Potts?”

“Tony?” She asked, “You okay?”

“I’m okay, considering,” He darted his eyes down to the floor, “Potts, I know you’re meant to be off the clock, but I need your help.”

“Of course.”

“I’m going to find a way to bring Peter back with me.”

Pepper hesitated on the other side of the conversation, trying to process what he had said, “Like for the night?”

“No, I mean indefinitely.”

“Tony…” She trailed off, “Tony, you need to think about this. Peter is a baby. Everything would change, and I mean everything.”

“He has no one else.” Tony told her, “Apart from me. I’m his godfather. I have to do--”

“There is a huge difference between being his godfather and being his...Father.” Pepper said calmly.

“Potts,” He sighed, “I know it’s...irrational, and out of character but I just, I know in my heart that this is what I have to do.”

“Okay.” She said, short and simple. Tony was surprised, he had expected her to be more against the idea, “What do you need me to do?”

“Can you order things?” He asked, bowing his head into his hand, “Like a car seat, a crib, toys, clothes. Everything a baby needs, I guess.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Thank you,” He sighed, “And um when it all arrives have it set up in the guest room next to mine.”

“Got it.” She told him, “Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, can you find me a room near me?” He asked, “Peter is with social services tonight, so I need to hang around.”

“Of course, I’ll book something now and send you the details.” She said, “Should I tell Happy he needs to come and get you in the morning?”

“Yes, tell him I will text him the time and place,” Tony sighed, “Thank you, Miss. Potts.”

“No problem,” Pepper said in a reassuring tone, “Take care of yourself, Tony.”

“See you tomorrow.” He snapped his phone shut as he darted his eyes up at the buildings in front.

He couldn’t change his mind. This was final, it had to be. He didn’t care how complicated it was; he didn’t even care about how Obadiah would inevitably react.

He had the Pepper’s support, she was rightly wary, but he could tell by her voice, that part of her believed in him, and her support alone was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Parkers deserved far better than losing their lives in such a gratuitous manner." - This was me calling myself out.
> 
> I love May Parker, but I've wanted to do this fanfiction for such a long time! To make up for killing her off in this one, I'm working on an Endgame AU (where Tony dusted instead of Peter) which will be my next project after this endevour.


	3. The Start Of Our Lives

Tony and Happy arrived at the Child Protection Services an hour before they were meant to get there. Tony hadn’t slept all night. He closed his eyes, and he saw them, the Parkers, a family he trusted with his life. His mind turned to Peter, and how substantial the legacy was on his small shoulders. Tony knew what that was like, he had been much older when his parents died, but he understood how a legacy left behind by an untimely death can shape who you become to be.

He wasn’t going to let that happen to Peter. He would never leave him with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Tony made Happy wait in the car, against his bodyguard’s wishes. Tony was seated in a waiting area; his leg bounced with anticipation as he waited to be seen.

“Mr. Stark,” A man stepped over and held out his hand; Tony stood up and shook it, “I’m Alan Rick, I’m the executor for Mary and Richard’s will. I was told to meet you here this morning to talk over everything involving Peter.”

“Yes, well, thank you for coming.”

Alan gestured back, “Should I ask them to find us an office space?”

“No, here should be fine,” Tony said, there was no one else in the waiting room, it was early in the morning, and the place was desolate.

“Alright.” Alan pulled out one of the chairs and turned it around; Tony sat down opposite him, Alan took a folder out of his bag and laid it down on his lap, “So, I’ve arranged for Peter to be brought here in the next few hours. Usually, it’s best to keep a recently orphaned child in an environment they are familiar with as they can adjust better, but it seems his parents moved around a lot, never stayed in the same place too long.”

“They moved with their work,” Tony said guiltily, knowing that was partially his fault.

“Yes.” Alan nodded, “Um, well, did Richard and Mary ever discuss their guardianship arrangements with you?”

“No.”

“Well, in their will, we talked about who would take care of Peter in the unlikely circumstance that they both died,” He explained, “And unfortunately Ben and May Parker were listed first, and would have been his primary guardians had they not passed away also. Mary believed they should leave another guardian, so they named you.”

Tony felt a smile etch on his face; if Mary and Richard trusted him enough to be named a legal guardian, then he could do this, “So, what does that mean?”

“It will make this process easier for you, and for Peter.” Alan started, “Because you already named you as a potential guardian, so today you will be granted temporary custody of Peter, and you can take him home. I will set up a court hearing for next week where you will receive legal and permanent custody.”

“Is this the same as…” Tony stuttered, “Is that the same as adoption?”

“No.” Alan said, “You will have legal custody of Peter, but adoption is a different process that you can could through after all of this if you so wish.”

“Got it.”

* * *

The rest of the morning flew by Tony; one moment, he was talking to Alan, and the next, he was sat with a social worker signing forms that granted him temporary custody of his godson. He kept ignoring calls from Obadiah, who he had elected to keep in the dark, knowing he was going to have a lot to say.

“Just sign here.” The social worker said softly, pointing to the sheet; Tony signed across the dotted line, before sliding the sheet back over to her.

Tony noticed a woman walk into the room, holding Peter. He slowly let out a hesitant breath as he studied his godson. It had only been three weeks since he had last seen him, but with everything that had happened, it felt like years. Peter had grown more than Tony had expected; the kid had a mop of unruly brown hair, which the social worker kept messing with as they bounced around.

“Peter,” Tony uttered, he scrambled from his chair and hurried over, all his fears washed away, simply at the sight of his godson.

Peter’s wide eyes focused on Tony, and he cooed happily as he outstretched his hands, yearning for him, “Oh,” The social worker smiled, “Somebody wants you.”

Tony cautiously took hold of Peter; he placed a hand against his back as the kid nuzzled his face into Tony’s shoulder. Tony had one pet peeve, a trait he had never overcome and didn’t plan on doing so; he despised being handed things. That trait had followed him all his life, but at that moment, he didn’t mind.

“Hey there, baby.” Tony muttered softly into Peter’s ear; the kid hummed as he settled in Tony’s arms, “I’m sorry...” He rubbed his back and slowly twirled around the room, “I’m sorry they’re gone.” Tony knew that Peter didn’t understand a word he was saying, but he didn’t care, the words needed saying, “I know what this feels like, well I kinda know how this feels. I guess. I was older then you, but--” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “Your parents loved you kiddo, _God_ they loved more than anything. Trust me, I know.”

Peter pulled his head back, and he gargled in response; Tony smiled at him before leaning in to bop his nose. Peter’s face scrunched up as he giggled, he enthusiastically flapped his hands around, he reached forward to squeeze his hand around Tony’s nose.

Tony chuckled under his breath as he shook his head, “Yeah, that’s my nose.” Peter tugged on it gently, “Be careful, though, bud, it’s my only one.” Peter tucked his face in Tony’s shoulder again, “Okay Peter, what do you think? _Ready to start the rest of our lives_?”


	4. Welcome Home, Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title inspired by 'Welcome Home, Son' by Radical Face.

Tony stepped into his house, with Peter in his arms. He said a quick goodbye to Happy, even Peter waved. Tony hummed a laugh before turning away and letting the door close itself behind him. An invisible weight shifted of Tony’s shoulders as soon as the door was closed. The drive home had been more than awkward; Happy hadn’t said a word, but Tony could tell he was dying to.

Peter swung out one of his arms and blew a raspberry as he flapped his hand up and down, “You like it here, bud?” Tony asked; Peter gurgled his response, “Yeah, me too.”

“Tony?” Pepper emerged from around the corner, her face softened at the sight of Peter, and she shuffled over to them.

Tony smiled warmly, “Hey, Miss. Potts.”

“Hey.” She said quietly, Peter moved his hand around and cooed, passionately, “Oh,” She combed her fingers through Peter’s hair, “Hey, sweetheart.”

Tony bounced Peter absentmindedly, “Look, he likes you.”

Pepper locked with his Tony, and her smile faded, “I think...we need to talk.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, Tony.” She said sharply, “Right now.”

“Okay…”

Pepper turned on her heel, not saying another word. She walked over towards the living room, not leaving Tony with any other option but to follow her, he did so quietly.

A red and gold playpen had been assembled together in the middle of the living room, set up ready for Peter’s arrival. Tony pointed over to it, and opened his mouth agape in over-exaggerated excitement, “Look, Peter. How cool is this!”

“Tony,” Pepper said, attempting to catch his attention.

His face fell, and he looked over to her, “I know, I know.”

“Let’s sit down,” Pepper said, her tone gentler this time, she took a seat at the end of one of the couches.

“Oh, it’s one of those _‘we need to sit down_ ’ talks,” Tony joked, “I don’t think we’ve had one of these since the whole or-”

“Tony.” She snipped, “Not right now.”

Tony dropped his comedic facade and nodded, “Let me just put him down, and then I’m all yours.” He carefully guided Peter down into the playpen, “There you go, bud.” He stepped away and sat on the other couch, opposite Pepper, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Peter.”

Tony looked over at his godson, who was happily chewing his new toys and then proceeding to throw them around. His joy was almost painful to watch because he was too young to realise what he had lost.

“Yes…” Tony darted his eyes away from him, “Peter.”

Pepper kept her eyes locked on Tony, “I need you to think about this properly.”

Tony frowned, and he straightened his posture, “Wait.” He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head into his shoulder, “I was under the impression that you believed that I could do this. Last night, you said--”

“I know what I said.” She cut in, “But when you called me, it was such a surprise. And I knew I wasn’t going to be able to change your mind...not over the phone.”

“I’m not gonna change my mind.”

“Tony, hear me out.” She pressed her hand on her chest, “I know you more than I know myself…”

“Potts...”

“I need you to listen.” She pleaded, “Before Rhodey gets here, and before Obadiah finds out.”

She froze, obviously scared of what she had to say; Tony nodded for her to continue.

She let out a shaky breath, and pointed over to Peter, “When I said your life was gonna have to change, I didn’t just mean your work.” She admitted, “I meant _you_ , Tony.” She wiped away tears with the back of her hand, “You’re gonna have to change. I have never judged you for how you live your life because it is yours to live. But I have to now...I have to.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” She asked, “Do you realise how much you have to change? You can’t live down in your workshop 24/7. You can’t be reckless in public, or party all week long.”

Tony wiped a hand over his face, “That’s not me.” Pepper knitted her eyebrows together, “Okay, that made more sense in my head.”

“Tony…”

“I’ve never been entirely comfortable with my lifestyle.” He blurted, Pepper leaned back, stunned by his sudden openness, “I never have been. It’s so easy to get a reputation, and it’s so hard to lose, you know? I know what people are gonna say about this. That I’m stupid, or just trying doing this for attention, but I’m not.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because they were my friends.” His throat cracked, he bowed his head down, not wanting Pepper to see the damage. He locked eyes with Peter, “They deserve... _deserved_ better. And where there is a Stark, there is always a Parker. We stick together. He’s got no one, but _me_.”

“You’re really gonna do this, aren’t you?”

“I’m gonna try.” He chuckled humorlessly, “My dad was…” He shrugged and held up his hands in front of him, he clapped them together, “I gotta break the cycle of shame.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I believe you.” She vowed, “And I’ll stick by you. Both of you.”

“Thank you, Miss. Potts.”

* * *

Waiting for Rhodey to arrive was nerve-wracking because Tony knew exactly what he was going to say and act. He wouldn’t be as gentle, and understanding as Pepper was. Tony was glad that he had been able to get Peter to sleep and in his room.

He waited in the kitchen, the perfect place to hear the front door, and Peter, if he grew restless. He preoccupied himself by washing and sterilising Peter’s baby bottles.

He heard Rhodey before he saw him, his best friend hurried through the front door, giving Pepper a half-hearted ‘hello’ before rushing to the kitchen.

“Tony!” He called, “I’m not kidding when I say that this better be some sort of ridiculously late and stupid April’s fool joke because if it’s not, I’m gonna--”

Tony turned around to look at him, his friend was hovering in the door, his eyes locked onto the baby bottle in Tony’s hand, “Gonna what, self-destruct?”

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Washing up.” Tony tossed the empty bottle in his hand, and caught it with the other, he placed it down on the drying rack.

Rhodey brought his fingers up to the brim of his nose, “I’m tripping, or this is a joke. Tell me now.”

Tony pretended to think about it, he popped his lips and headed to the door, “It’s neither.” He squeezed past Rhodey and walked away, his friend followed quickly behind.

“Please, _please_ , Tony.” Rhodey stuttered, “I’m not kidding.”

Tony scoffed as he turned into the living room, “Neither am I.” He took Peter’s _Winnie The Pooh_ blanket of the coach, and tossed it over his shoulder, “You know?” He sat on the back of the coach, “I can literally sense your silent judgement.”

Rhodey shook his head, “I’m in a coma, aren’t I? I’m dying, and this is like some sort of fever dream.”

Tony snorted, and waved his hand out in front of him, “It really isn’t. Everything you’ve heard is true.”

“If you’re not pulling my leg, right now, this is mort irrational and reckless thing you’ve ever done!” He shouted, Tony cringed at his raised voice, “And that’s saying something!”

“Can you keep your voice down?”

Rhodey rolled his eyes, “Oh, come on. This can’t be real.”

Tony pointed through the door frame, “I only just got him to sleep.”

“Tony…” Rhodey said through gritted teeth.

“Rhodey…” Tony mirrored, mocking his tone.

“Please stop this.”

Tony’s need to joke around faded, “Okay, enough of this, back and forth.” He said, gesturing his hands forward, “Richard and Mary Parker, Peter’s parents, they _died_. That happened. No joke there.”

Rhodey’s face dropped, and he swallowed the guilt in his throat, “Yes, of course. I’m sorry.”

“Well, ‘ _sorry_ ’ isn’t gonna bring them back now, is it?” Tony didn’t mean to sound so harsh, not to Rhodey. He hadn’t really given himself time to realise his friends were gone, not when he had Peter to think about.

“I know.” Rhodey said softly, “Tony, is Peter really here?”

“Yes.”

Rhodey stepped back, bringing his closed fist to his mouth, “Oh my, God.”

“He’s here, and he’s staying.”

“He’s just a kid!”

“I know that!” Tony exclaimed, “I guess, Jesus. I guess he’s _my_ kid now.”

“Tones.” Rhodey hissed, “You can’t handle this, you can barely even take care of yourself.”

Tony frowned, and recoiled his head back, “Thanks for the vote in confidence.”

“I was there after you got a traffic cone stuck on your head.”

Tony couldn’t hold back a chuckle, “That’s where your mind goes when you’re looking through my track record.”

“We were in the emergency room for three hours.”

“I guess our college years were rather hectic.”

“That was last year.”

“Oh.” Tony shrugged, “Point taken.”

“Look, you’re grieving.” Rhodey said, emphatically, “You cannot make a decision like this right now.”

“Already did.” Tony pointed out, “I’m not going back now. I can’t.”

“Tony!”

The sound of Peter’s crying echoed from upstairs, Tony rushed past him, “I told you to stay quiet.” He scolded.

Rhodey muttered inaudible sentences to himself as they both hurried up the first set of stairs.

Peter’s door had been left open, Tony hurried over to the cot, and leaned over, swooping Peter up, “Hey, baby.” He side-eyed Rhodey, who was paralysed to the spot. Peter kept crying, “Don’t be scared of him, he’s just an evil platypus.” He bounced him around, and slowly, his cries started to subside, “That’s better.”

“Wow.”

Tony loved the way Rhodey’s face melted at the sight of Peter. It was enduring, but also hilarious. Tony wished he could have filmed it, but he stored it to the back of his mind, ready to use to tease him in the future.

“He doesn’t bite.” Tony joked.

Rhodey rolled his eyes, “Shut up.” He moved closer and held up his hand, Peter grabbed his index finger and tugged it towards him, “Yeah, that’s my finger.”

“This is your uncle Rhodey.”

Rhodey chuckled nervously, “No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Peter cooed loudly, stopping the argument. Tony broke down in a fit of laughter, “See? This is all gonna work out.”

Rhodey shook his finger, unable to escape Peter’s grasp, “This is crazy.”

Tony’s face softened, “I really need you on this one, honeybear.”

“I’m totally gonna regret this.” Rhodey sighed, “But okay.”

 

 


	5. Like An Anthem In My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title inspired by 'From Now On' from the Greatest Showman, which of course was also the inspiration for the title of this fic.

For the first time in a long time, Tony didn’t wake up with the intention of staying in his workshop all day, and he didn’t wake up with an incredible hangover either.

Peter was the only thing on his mind, he spent all morning playing with him, and reading baby books, attempting to wrap his mind around how everything worked.

He sat on the living floor with his back leaning into the coach. He surrounded by many toys; Peter was crawling around, picking everything up, and proceeding to passionately toss it across the room.

Peter placed his hands on Tony’s knee, and cooed, Tony smiled, “What do you want?” He noticed a red plastic cube by his side, he picked it up, and held it out, “You want this. Go crazy, bud.” Peter took it, and slumped down onto his backside, Tony leaned forward, “You wanna hear something cool?”

Peter waved his hands in front of them, he threw the cube down and blew a few bubbles as he giggled.

“I will take that as a _yes_.” Tony said, “You see, I’m making this system, called _Jarvis_ , you’re gonna love him. He’ll be able to talk to us, and do things for us.”

Peter blabbered, and gaped up at Tony.

“Yeah, it is quite cool.” Tony chuckled, “I’m not sure what accent he should have yet.” He picked up two cubes, “British?” He said, placing down a blue block in front of Peter, “Or American?” He placed a red cube next to the other.

Peter slapped his hand down on the blue block.

“ _British_? You think?” Tony quizzed, “Um, I guess my uncle Jarvis was British. You would have liked him.”

“Tony.” Pepper stepped in, her voice shaking. Tony looked up at her, she was trembling on the spot, and all the colour from her cheeks was gone.

“Have you just seen a ghost?”

She tried to speak, but her words died in the throat, she coughed, “Um, I just told Obadiah.”

“God.” Tony hissed, “I bet that went down like a lead balloon. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left that to you.”

“No, it’s okay.” She pointed back to the front door, “He’s on his way, and Tony-”

“He won’t do anything.” Tony told her, “He wouldn’t dare.”

“I’ve never heard him so angry.”

“It’s Obadiah.” He pointed at his chest, “He was mad when my parents had me.” He picked up Peter, and jumped up onto his feet, his godson nuzzled into his hold, “What did he say to you?”

“He said he wasn’t gonna leave until he got rid of…” She trailed off, Tony gave her a few seconds, “Um, that thing.”

Tony absentmindedly tightened his grip around Peter, “Jesus.”

“He’ll be here soon.”

“Hey, I got this.” He reassured her, “It’s me. I’m not scared of anything.”

The doorbell rang through the house, both Pepper and Tony jolted back at the sudden sound.

“Wow.” Tony attempted to catch his breath, he turned his head and kissed Peter’s temple, “We got this.”

Pepper let out a small, high-pitched hum, and followed behind Tony as he gingerly approached the door.

Tony pressed the button on the wall, and the door clicked open. Stane stormed in, almost tearing the door off its hinges. His face burnt red, and he was practically foaming out the mouth.

Tony’s breath hitched, “Afternoon.” His attempt to sound nonchalant died in an instant.

“What the _hell_ is going on here?!” Stane barked.

Tony took a conscious step back, “I have _no idea_ what you are talking about.”

Stane held out his finger and pointed it at Peter. Tony couldn’t tell why, but something about how Stane was staring at Peter, rubbed him up the wrong way. It was almost sickening. “That kid is going today. _End of_! You hear me?!”

“Oh, loud and clear.”

“Right now.” Obadiah clicked his fingers and pointed at the startled form of Pepper, “Before this hits the press--”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Tony snapped, “Because that isn’t happening.”

“What?!” Obadiah spat, he clenched his fist.

“That isn’t happening,” Tony repeated. Peter moved his head around, and within a second, he burst out into tears. “Oh.” Tony attempted to soothe him, but it wasn’t easy with Stane glaring at them, “Shush, baby.”

“This needs sorting out.” Obadiah fumed, paying Peter no attention.

“Shut up,” Tony ordered.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Obadiah bellowed, “This is gonna ruin the company.”

“Oh, like I did?” Tony counter-argued, keeping his voice as quiet as he possibly could.

“Don’t start that--”

“I had it for _nineteen years_.” He cut him off, “I can bring it up.” He turned to Pepper, “Potts, sorry, do you mind?”

“No, of course not.” She moved forward and carefully took the crying Peter out of Tony’s arms. She turned and walked away, Tony watched as they went, his heart yearning to comfort Peter. _God, is this what being a father feels like?_

“Tony.” Obadiah’s menacing voice snapped him back to reality.

Tony held his hand up, trying to silence him, “There are no words. Nada. There is nothing you can say that is gonna change my mind.”

“Starks are not meant to be fathers.”

“Ha, no.” Tony chuckled humorlessly, “My dad wasn’t meant to be a father, I’m not my dad.”

Obadiah snorted, “You keep telling yourself that.”

“ _From now on_ , Peter’s my kid.” Tony told him, “My responsibility. Whether you like it or not.”

“Um, whatever you say.” Obadiah shrugged, he clicked his tongue, “But don’t you dare come running to me when this goes sideways.”

“It won’t.”

“It’s you, Tony.” He told him, “It always does.”

“Great.” Tony clapped his hands together, “You can go now. _Let the door hit you on the way out._ ”

 


	6. Iconic One-Liners

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

**August 2002**  
  
Losing the Parkers was difficult. Sometimes, Tony would wake up and forget that they weren’t around anymore. He would never work with them again, or receive an early morning call from Richard after he made a discovery in one of their upcoming projects.  
  
_It hurt._ Almost as much as when he lost his parents, but this time, he didn’t drown himself in alcohol. Instead, he became a dad, and he lost himself in his new found responsibility. He couldn’t save the Parkers, but he could raise their son, to the best of his ability.  
  
Peter sat in his bright purple baby door bouncer, that Tony had attached to the main entrance way of his workshop. He was sitting on the desk nearby, messing with the voice control on _Jarvis_.  
  
“We’re almost done, baby.” Tony sang gleefully, “We just need to find the right voice, fancy helping me with that?” Peter gurgled and blew a few bubbles, Tony threw his hand back, “Exactly.” He hit down on the space bar.  
  
“ _Good afternoon, sir._ ” A computerised voice echoed through the room, Tony cringed and shook his head.  
  
“Oh no, that’s horrible.” He twirled his chair around, “Right, kiddo?” Peter stopped bouncing, and stared at him, “ _Rubbish_? Yes, I agree.” He hit the bar again, “Next one?"  
  
“ _Good afternoon, sir_.” This voice sounded more human, but it was slow.   
  
“Hmm.” Tony hummed, Peter stared down at his toes, “Boring, right? I agree.” He rubbed his palms together, “Tired time lucky, hey?” He hit the button, once more.  
  
_“Good afternoon, sir.”_ A clear British accent greeted him, a smile crawled on Tony’s face.  
  
“Oh.” Tony whistled, Peter started to bounce around once more, gleefully, “Yeah, I like this one too! Jarvis, you there?”  
  
_“Yes. All my functions are operational, sir.”_  
  
_"_ Wow.” Tony gasped, he cupped a hand over his mouth, “Wow!” He bolted up from his chair, and unhooked from Peter from his bouncer, and picked him up, “We did it, baby.” He celebrated, “Okay, let’s test this. Jarvis, who is this?”  
  
_“Peter Parker, sir.”_  
  
Tony grinned, “Face recognition system is running then.”  
  
_“I did say that all my functions are operational,”_ Jarvis replied, his tone almost sarcastic.  
  
Tony frowned, “Oh, of course my creation talks back.”  
  
“ _S_ _ir, there is someone approaching the front door.”_  Jarvis informed him, “ _Her face seems to match my records of your social worker, Jane Watts.”_  
  
“Ah, thank you.” Tony grinned, he turned and bopped Peter’s nose, “It’s one of her surprise visits. Let’s go.”  
  
Tony hurried up the stairs, Jane was stood with Pepper in the main entrance way, “Good afternoon, Miss. Watts.”  
  
“Mr. Stark.” She smiled, “Should we sit down?”  
  
“Of course.” Tony told her, “Right this way.” He guided her towards the living room, “Sorry about the mess.” Peter’s toys were scattered all over the floor.  
  
“No problem.”  
  
Tony placed Peter down on the floor amongst toys, before sitting himself on the end of the coach, Jane sat opposite him.   
  
“So, how is it going?” She asked.  
  
“Good.” He smiled, “ _Better_ _._ ”  
  
“I’m glad.” She said, “Last time, you mentioned that he was having trouble sleeping through the night before, has that improved at all?”  
  
“Yes.” Tony grinned, “I brought on of those bed-side cribs, it attaches to my bed, so now he sleeps straight through the night.”  
  
“That’s great.” She scribbled into the notepad rested on her legs, “Has Peter reached any new milestones recently?”  
  
“He started cruising a few weeks ago.” Tony said proudly, “And he eats all of his food.” He held out his hands, “Brolicoi is his favourite, which I think is good because I thought kids didn’t like vegetables.”  
  
She chuckled lightly, “That’s really good. He seems to really be settling in with you. Is there anything you’re struggling with, at all?”  
  
Tony scratched his chin, “I guess the press can be a problem, but of course, that’s my fault but--”  
  
“You don’t have to blame yourself for that.” She informed him, “Plenty of famous people foster, and adopt children, and we can definitely help you with that process.”   
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Peter moved his hands onto the edge of the couch, and guided himself up onto his feet; he cruised across towards Tony.  
  
“ _Oh_ , are you showing off now?” Tony laughed, watching Peter stumble along.   
  
Peter looked up at him wearing the cheekiest grin, he held up his hand and squeezed it together, “Dada.”  
  
Tony’s heart leapt up into his throat, and he tapped the back of his ear with his two fingers, “Um, what?”  
  
Jane let out a small laugh, “I’m guessing that hasn’t happened before.”

“No.” Tony scooped Peter off the floor, and kept him held upright, as Peter stood on his legs, “Did you just say something, baby?”  
  
“Dada.” Peter blurted out again.   
  
Tony’s eyes glistened with tears, “You’re a genius.”

* * *

  
That evening, Rhodey came over, uninvited. He claimed it was just a casual visit, but Tony could tell that Peter was growing on him and that he wanted to hear him saying his first word.  
  
All three of them sat in the living room, on the floor.   
  
Rhodey was knelt down on his knees directly in front of Peter, who was completely oblivious to the attention, “Come on, Pete. It’s easy, really. It’s just ‘ _Row-de-_.’”   
  
Tony scoffed, and rolled his eyes, “Are you serious?”  
  
“What? He’s already said ‘ _dada_.’”  
  
“Already?” Tony said defensively “It was his first word, buzzkill.”  
  
“And, yes it was adorable.” Rhodey told him, “The first hundred times.”  
  
“Dada, dada, dada.” Peter chanted enthusiastically.  
  
“Hundred and three... “ Rhodey corrected, “But now we’ve gotta step up.”  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes, “And, Rhodey is a step up from dada, is it?”  
  
“Obviously.”  
  
Peter crawled over to Tony, and nudged his leg,  “Dada, dada!”  
  
“Yes, I’m here, baby.” Tony helped Peter up onto his lap; his son proceeded to stomp on his legs, “When did this happen?”  
  
“When did _what_ happen?” Rhodey cross-questioned.  
  
Tony pointed at Peter, “When did I become a jungle-gym?”  
  
Rhodey shrugged, “That’s part of the job description.”  
  
“I guess.”.  
  
“So, _dada_ , then?” Rhodey started, “Does that help?”  
  
“Help, what?”  
  
“Just last week you were panicking about if Pete was gonna call you ‘Tony’ or ‘Dad.’”  
  
“Um, well, guess he made the decision.” He brushed his hand through Peter’s hair, “Didn’t you, bud?”  
  
“Dada!”  
  
Tony placed a kiss on Peter’s forehead, “Exactly.”  
  
Rhodey snorted and rested his chin in his hand as he watched them.  
  
“Something funny?” Tony asked.  
  
“No, it just,” He stuttered, “It suits you.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Fatherhood.”  
  
“You think?”  
  
Rhodey gestured to them, “I know.”  
  
Tony twiddled his fingers through Peter’s hair, “I was looking into the long-term, for Peter and I.”  
  
“Adoption?”  
  
“Yeah.” He nodded, “I think so.”  
  
“That’s great!”  
  
“So, Peter Stark-Parker or Peter Parker-Stark?”  
  
“Oh definitely, Peter Parker-Stark.” Pepper proclaimed, she skipped into the room.  
  
“Yeah.” Rhodey agreed,  “It’s less of a mouthful.”  
  
Pepper stood behind Rhodey, she smiled at Peter and Tony, “Sounds like a superhero name to me.”  
  
Tony chuckled and nodded, “Yeah, it does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last appearance of baby Peter, after this, we step into the world of the MCU. Starting, of course, with Iron Man.


	7. Happy Meal (IM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of Iron Man start in February 2009 and end in November of them the same year. Peter is seven when this begins, and eight when it finishes.

 

**SEVEN YEARS LATER** ( _six years and a bit, but it sounds less impressive_ ) 

When Tony Stark was seven, he built a working motorbike without assistance; all his life, he'd thought that had been quite impressive. Looking back on it, it was  _ lonely _ . At that age, he should have been outside playing with other children instead of always trying to impress his estranged father. He was glad his son had a different goal for his seventh year, which was to collect every single Happy Meal toy that McDonald's had to offer so that he could receive some bizarre form of playground credibility. 

Tony walked into a McDonalds, with Peter sat on his shoulders humming to himself, Happy Hogan stood a few paces back watching them. Tony ignored the stares from people who recognised him, he pushed his signature sunglasses up the brim on his nose, "Okay Pete, which one do you need?"  
  
He bent down to let Peter jump down from his shoulders, the kid bounced over to the shelf where the toys were being displayed behind plastic casing. The toys were for the film _Hotel For Dogs_ which they had both seen three consecutive times to Peter's delight, "I just need Cooper!"  
  
"Cooper, hey?" Tony asked scanning the glass, "That one." He pointed at the small plush toy dog, Peter nodded enthusiastically, "Got it, come on let's order." He held out his hand, and Peter gripped on tightly, "Cheeseburger or chicken nuggets?"   
  
"Cheeseburger, please."    
  
"You got it, buddy." He turned his head back to his bodyguard, "Do you want anything, Hap?"  
  
He shook his head, "No thank you, sir."  
  
Tony nodded before walking over to the service window, where their server was stood staring at the infamous Stark family with a dropped gob, "Be careful son, you'll catch flies." Tony remarked, the boy snapped his jaw shut and muttered under his breath, "Can I get a Quarter Pounder with a coke please?" Tony looked down to Peter, who was staring over at the display case with wide-eyes, "And can he get a Happy Meal, with a cheeseburger, fries and an orange juice? To go please."  
  
"Yeah." The server keyed in the order, "Do you want fries with yours, sir?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
"That will $9.57."  
  
Tony inserted his card and keyed in his number, "With the Happy Meal, is there any chance he can get the Cooper toy?"   
  
"I'll see if we have any left." He said handing over Tony's receipt, he then proceeded to turn back to the kitchen space, and mumble inaudibly to his coworkers.  
  
Peter tugged at Tony's jacket, he looked to see that Peter was pointing up to a clock hung over the display cabinet for the toys, it was almost eight, he hadn't realised how late it was, "Dad, shouldn't we be at the award thingy?"   
  
"Nah." He sighed ruffling Peter's hair, "I'd rather be here, it's past your bedtime though."  
  
"Shush." Peter knitted his eyebrows together as he creased his forehead in frustration at the mention of bedtime, he placed a finger to his lips, "I can sleep on the plane."  
  
Tony chuckled, "Okay sunshine, you can sleep on the plane."  
  
"Here you go, sir." The server said holding out the order, Happy proceeded to step forward and take it, knowing Tony didn't like being handed things.   
  
"Thank you." Tony sang as they turned back and walked towards the exit.  
  
"Uncle Happy…" Peter said joyfully, "Do you want my fries 'cause I don't like 'em that much?"  
  
"Thanks, kid." Happy said trying to maintain his work stance, "I will."  
  
Tony bent down and tickled Peter as they walked, "Since when did you not like fries?"  
  
"Stop it." Peter chuckled as he tried his best to worm away, "I just don't like 'em that much."  
  
Tony stopped tickling, and Peter scrambled two steps ahead, "Alrighty then."   
  
"Can I have a piggyback?" Peter asked.  
  
"Of course." Tony bent down and his son guided himself onto his back, Peter folded his arms around Tony's front, "Should we eat when we get back to Caesars Palace or in the car?"  
  
Peter hummed as he laid his head on Tony's shoulder, "In the car...the palace is really noisy."  
  
"You got that right, kid."  
  
"And people always take pictures and shout at you." He groaned, "They should ask, it's rude."  
  
"You're right again." Tony said turning to bop Peter's nose, "It is very rude."  
  
"You should play dress up." Peter said, "And then no one will know who you are."  
  
"Dress up?" Tony pondered the thought for a second, "Like as a pirate or a princess?"  
  
A mischievous grin grew on Peter's face, "Or, a pirate princess!"  
  
"A pirate princess?!" He asked flabbergasted, "Now that sounds like a good plan, I'll have to get the outfit made."  
  
"We should do it for Halloween, I'm gonna be a pirate mermaid."  
  
"A pirate princess and a pirate mermaid, you've got amazing ideas, Pete." Tony chuckled, "We'll have to ask Miss. Potts to order them straight away."   
  
"Yay."   
  
They turned into the entrance of Caesars Palace; Peter curled into Tony, trying his best to ignore the loud sounds of people calling out to them. One thing Tony had grown to despise about his life since Peter came along was the media, who seemed to still be bemused by the idea of Tony having an adopted son.  Somedays, Peter was fine with the attention and other times, he wasn't.    
  
"Hey, stay back!" Happy shouted.  
  
Tony rushed inside the lobby as Peter clung tightly onto his shoulders. "Look!" Peter exclaimed, pointing out the familiar figure of James Rhodes, who was staring at Tony sternly, with his arms crossed over his chest, he had a frosted glass trophy held in his grasp.  
  
"You're unbelievable!" Rhodey said pointing at Tony.  
  
"Oh, come on." Tony sighed, "They didn't rope you into this, did they?"  
  
"Nobody roped me into anything." He sighed, "But they told me...that if I presented you with an award, you'd be deeply honoured."  
  
"I would be deeply honoured." Tony tapped Peter's hand, "Wouldn't I, bud?"   
  
"Yep!" Peter grinned, "Hey, uncle Rhodey."  
  
Rhodey's face softened as he smiled, "Hey, Pete." He looked back down to Tony, his expression instantly switching back to irritated, "Don't try and use Peter against me, it's unfair."  
  
"I'm not!" Tony said his voice going high-pitched towards the end, he cleared out his throat, "Now when is this award thing...like…"  
  
"Here." Rhodey held up the trophy.  
  
"Oh, that was easy!" Tony smiled, "Thank you...I can't take it right now 'cause I'll drop Pete. But thank you, it means a lot, especially from you." He stepped back, "We better get going, it's a school night, and we still have to fly home."  
  
"Don't be late tomorrow," Rhodey said.  
  
"Yeah, you can count on it!" Tony grinned as he backed towards the exit.   
  
"I'm serious."   
  
"I know, I know." He placed a hand on his chest, "I will not be late, I promise."   
  
"Okay." Rhodey said unsurely, he peered up to his nephew who was shaking his head, he chuckled, "Goodnight Peter."  
  
"Night!" 


	8. It's A School Night

Peter hummed to himself as they travelled out towards the car, he didn’t notice his dad staring at members of the press with a stern expression, attempting to stop them from ambushing them. He didn't even hear Happy shouting unrepeatable words to get them to move. He was just in his own little world, staring up at the night sky as he hummed the memorable melody of _Back in Black_.   
  
“Do you want to listen to AC/DC in the car buddy?” Tony asked as he bent down to let Peter jump off his back.  
  
“Nope.” He shook his head, “What about some _Duran Duran_?”   
  
“Sounds good to me.” Tony smiled, Peter clambered into the back of the car,  Happy handed him his Happy Meal, “That might be a little cold now, sorry kiddo.”  
  
“Doesn’t matter,” Peter said opening the box and taking out his burger.  
  
“Mr. Stark!” A woman’s voice shouted from nearby, Tony groaned placing his head in his hand. Out of habit, Happy gently closed the car door keeping Peter settled away. “Mr. Stark! Excuse me!” The woman stopped, “Mr. Stark! _Christine Everheart,_ Vanity Fair magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?”  
  
Tony turned on his foot, “Sorry, it’s a school night, and I need to get my son home.”  
  
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t bring your kid to late night benefits then.”  
  
“I’m heading to Afghanistan tomorrow, so I wanted to spend some time with him.” He answered, “And from experience that your bosses know all about I’d rather keep him close before going on a business trip.”  
  
“Okay.” She held up a small recording device, “I’ll let you go if I can have two minutes of your time.”  
  
“Two minutes go.”  
  
“You’ve been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?”   
  
“Absolutely ridiculous.” Tony sighed, “I don’t paint.”  
  
“And what do you say to your other nickname the _Merchant of Death_?”  
  
Tony exhaled deeply, “That’s not bad. Sounds like one of the comic book villains I read about in my son’s comic books.” He gestured to her, “Let me guess….Berkeley?”  
  
“Brown, actually.” She smirked.  
  
“Well, Ms. Brown. It’s an imperfect world, but it’s the only one we’ve got. I guarantee you the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, we’ll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals.”   
  
“Rehearse that much?”  
  
He nodded, “Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime.”  
  
“I can see that.” She rolled her eyes, “All I want is the serious answer.”  
  
Tony groaned defeated, “Okay, here is serious. My old man had a philosophy: ' _Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.'"_  
  
“That’s a great line, coming from a guy selling the sticks.”  
  
Tony gestured back, “My father helped defeat Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero.”  
  
“And a lot of people would also call that war-profiteering.” She said, trying to get a rise out of him.   
  
“Tell me, do you plan to report on the millions we’ve saved by advancing medical technology? Or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs: military funding, honey.” He explained, “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a cheeseburger to eat and some _Duran Duran_ to sing.”  
  
He backed away and gestured to the back door, Happy opened it, and Tony jumped in, sitting next to his son, who eating his cheeseburger, “What did she want?”   
  
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Tony chuckled.  
  
Peter swallowed, “You do.”  
  
“I do not,” Tony said placing a hand on his chest to pretending to act offended.   
  
“What did she want?” Peter asked again.  
  
“A few questions about the company.” He told him, “She’s gone now.”  
  
“Good,” Peter said taking another bite out of his burger.


	9. Potts & Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't think anyone will truly understand how proud I am of this chapter title.

Pepper Potts walked into the Stark mansion, she had already been bombarded by phone calls and texts from a frustrated James Rhodes. She walked toward the workshop stairs, but stopped when she heard the distant chuckles of Peter and Tony echoing from the kitchen; she was used to finding the pair in the workshop together, not the kitchen.  
  
“Morning Pepper!” Peter sang; he was sat on the counter, dressed ready for school; Tony was stood by the stove, making pancakes.  
  
“Good morning, Peter.” Pepper smiled, she gestured towards the front door, “Your ride for school is outside.”  
  
“Oh okay.” Peter sighed, somewhat disappointed by having to leave. He adored school, being a Parker and a Stark meant he had an inquisitive mind and a thirst for knowledge, however, he didn’t like leaving when he knew he wasn’t going to see his dad for a few days.   
  
Tony knelt down and held his arms out, “Come here then buddy!” Peter charged into a hug, “You be a good boy for Potts okay? And I’ll see you on Monday.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter smiled leaning back in his Father’s arms, “I love you to the moon and back.”   
  
“Yeah?" Tony ruffled Peter’s hair gently, "That's crazy." He planted a kiss on his cheek, “I love you too.”  
  
“See you soon.” Peter grabbed his rucksack from the floor and pulled out a homemade card; he zipped up his bag and placed it on his back. He shuffled over to Pepper and held the card out, “Happy Birthday!”   
  
“Oh, thank you, sweetheart.” Pepper smiled taking hold of it, “I’ll see you after school.”  
  
“See you!” He said dashing away to the front door.  
  
“It’s your birthday?” Tony asked taking the pancake out of the pan, “Already?”  
  
“Yeah, isn’t that strange, it’s the same day as last year.” Pepper mocked.  
  
“Well, get yourself something nice from me.” Tony smiled softly, as he tucked into his pancake.  
  
“I already did.”   
  
“And?” He asked, playfully  
  
“Oh, it was very nice. Very tasteful.” Pepper beamed, “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”  
  
“You’re welcome, Ms. Potts.”   
  
“Sadly, it’s not as great as this.” She said holding up her card from Peter, smiling at the drawings.  
  
“Kid’s an artist.” Tony grinned, “Are you sure you’re okay with looking after him? Especially on your birthday.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Pepper smiled, “Peter’s amazing to look after,  I always learn something new.”   
  
“Yes, he’s an encyclopedia of strange facts.”   
  
“Yes, he is.” Pepper’s smile faded, and she gestured to the door, “You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now. Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago.”  
  
“I didn’t want to leave Peter alone until you got here and he wanted to make pancakes.” He shrugged, “And also it’s my plane, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there.”  
  
Pepper rolled her eyes, and looked down to the tablet in her arms, “I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you outta the door.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased, and he raised from the breakfast bar taking his plate to the dishwasher, “I mean, doesn’t it kind of defeat the purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?”  
  
She exhaled deeply, “Larry called, he’s got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings, do you want it, yes or no?”  
  
“Is it a good representation of his Spring Period?” Tony asked.   
  
“No the “Springs” is actually the neighbourhood in East Hampton, where he lived and worked, not “spring” like the season.” She explained, “I think it’s a fair example...I think it’s incredibly overpriced.”  
  
“I need it.” Tony said, “I need it. Buy it, store it.”  
  
“Okay... the MI commencement speech….”  
  
“Is in June... please, don’t harangue about that stuff.”  
  
“Well, they are haragning me…”  
  
“Say no.” Tony said gently, Pepper looked at him confused, “I promised Pete I’d take him to London.”  
  
“Okay, I’ll tell them.” She sighed, she handed over a sheet and a pen, “I need you to sign this before you get on the plane.”  
  
“Got it.” He leaned over and signed the sheet

* * *

Pepper was sat in the living area of the Stark house scrolling through her tablet when she heard the front door click open. She jumped up and approached the door, Peter was stood with his chauffeur. Peter’s eyes were full to the brim with unfallen tears; he was clutching what seemed to be a torn apart plush toy in his hand. He took off his backpack and threw it to the floor in frustration.  
  
“I don’t know what happened Ms. Potts.” His chauffeur said, “He won’t say anything to me.”  
  
“I can take it from here, thank you, Henry.” Pepper said, he nodded and turned, leaving without another word.   
  
Pepper walked over and knelt down in front of Peter, “Hey sweetheart, what happened?”  
  
Peter held out the toy in his hand and sobbed, “A boy at school ripped my toy.”  
   
“Oh no.” She took hold of the toy, it was one of his McDonald’s Happy Meal toy, “Why did he do that?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Peter cried, “He’s just really mean, and he said his daddy doesn’t like Dad.”  
  
Pepper brushed tears off his cheek, “Well, that’s not a nice thing to say, or do.”  
  
“Dad only got it for me yesterday.” Peter sniffled, he brushed away the tears, “He made sure I got this one.”   
  
“I know, honey.” She took hold of it, “Let’s see if I can fix it up, hey?”  
  
“Okay,” Peter mumbled, he took hold of Pepper’s hand, and they both walked through into the dining room.   
  
Pepper opened the cabinet in the corner of the room and took out a box of sewing materials, “Should we watch a film when I’m fixing this?”  
  
“Um, okay.” He said, “You get to choose ’cause it’s your birthday.”  
  
“Well, thank you.” Pepper smiled, “What about _Return of the Jedi_?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded.   
  
“Come on, let’s go and make collect some treats first.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crazy fact: I wrote this back in March, way before seeing Endgame, but Tony's reaction to Peter's 'I love you' is almost the same reaction he has to Morgan saying 'I love you 3000,' I literally yelped in the cinema when it happened. And this is not the last thing I predicted either.


	10. The Nightmare Begins

Peter was woken in the early hours of the morning by the doorbell being repetitively pushed; he sat up and blinked to adjust to the light coming from under his door. He stretched before jumping out of bed; he wrapped himself in his Star Wars dressing gown, and opened his door and walked out, he yawned, “Jarvis, who’s at the door?”   
  
“ _It is Obadiah Stane_.”   
  
“What is Obi doing here?” Peter asked though he wasn’t confused by the Stane’s actions, there were countless occasions where Stane arrived in the early hours of the morning to shout meaningless rants at Tony.   
  
Pepper stepped out into the corridor from her room, she was wearing her familiar infuriated expression which Peter had seen plenty of times, just never directed at him. “Who is that?”   
  
“Obi,” Peter told her.   
  
“For goodness sake.” She skipped forward going down the stairs, Peter waddled a few steps behind. She strode across the corridor and opened the front door, “Obadiah, it’s six in the morning. Couldn’t this wait until later, Peter needs sleep before his test--”  
  
“We need to talk.” Stane said interrupting her rant, “Now.”  
  
Pepper crossed her arms over her chest as she scanned his face, “Why? What’s going on?”  
  
Obadiah looked over her shoulder at Peter, who was standing close behind, “Peter, go back to bed.” He ordered, his harsh tone sent a shiver up Peter’s spine, but he put on a brave face and sauntered forward to wrap himself around Pepper’s side.  
  
Pepper placed a comforting hand on his back, “Can you not talk to him like please?” She turned to Peter, “Why don’t you go and watch some TV?”   
  
“Okay.” Peter headed towards the living room, he leaned his back on the wall, so he could still hear what they were talking about.  
  
“What is this about?” Pepper asked.  
  
Stane exhaled deeply, “Maybe we should sit down.”  
  
“No.” She snapped, “Just tell me what’s going on.”  
  
“Something has happened in Afghanistan.” Stane answered, “They were ambushed, whoever it was, they’ve taken, Tony.”  
  
Peter held his world crumble around him at the news; he brought his hand to his mouth as he started to cry at the horrible thought of never seeing his father again.   
  
“And they’re looking for him, right?” Pepper asked, her voice shaking.  
  
“Of course.” Stane reassured her, “But whoever has taken him, they’ve definitely covered their tracks.”   
  
“Oh my…” She cried, “Um, thank you for coming to tell me. I just…” She cut herself off when she heard sniffling come from around the corner, she wiped away tears with the back of her dressing gown sleeve as she moved away from Stane; Peter was leaning up against the wall, his small shoulders shuddering as he sobbed.    
  
“I--” Peter cried, blinking down tears.  
  
“Oh, sweetie.” She bent down, and he fell forward into her open arms; she stood, holding him tightly in her arms. He nestled his face into her shoulder as she stepped back out towards Stane, “Can you keep me updated?”  
  
“Yes.” Stane studied the crying form of Peter, _he rolled his eyes._  
  
“Goodbye Obadiah.” She said, through gritted teeth.

* * *

 

The first day without Tony moved agonisingly slow as they awaited news. Peter hardly left Pepper’s side which in their situation, she didn’t mind in the slightest; she spent most of the day either carrying him or holding his hand. Pepper had to deal with Stark Industries continually calling her to talk about the companies stock market, she hadn’t realised how emotionless the company was until then.   
  
_No one asked how Peter was doing._  
  
Peter didn’t talk, not since finding out Tony was missing. All Pepper could get from him was a quiet murmur or a slight nod.   
  
“Do you want some dinner?” She asked, they were curled onto the couch in the living room; Peter was laid into her side while he stared down at the carpeted floor. _Spongebob_ was playing on the television, but neither of them were paying attention. He shook his head, answering her question, “Are you sure?”   
  
He muttered an inaudible ‘ _yes_ ’ and nodded, Pepper gently messed with his hair, unsure of what words she could say to get him to say something.  
  
“Peter, Ms. Potts, Colonel Rhodes has just arrived,” Jarvis announced.  
  
Before Pepper could even turn around, Peter scrambled away from her grasp and charged out of the room, heading towards the front door. She followed swiftly behind, stopping at the sight of Rhodey.   
  
He was hovering in the entranceway, his eyes were sunken back, from apparent lack of sleep, and concern over the wellbeing of his best friend. He got down onto one knee, just in time to catch Peter as he leapt up into his arms; he stood up as soon as he had a firm grip on him.   
  
Pepper locked eyes with him, hoping for some sort of miracle. Rhodey blinked away tears and shook his head.   
  
“Are you gonna bring him back?” Peter sobbed, into Rhodey’s shoulder.   
  
A sob escaped Pepper’s mouth, she placed her hand on her chest. After not hearing Peter say a word all day, to listen to his innocently soft and broken voice shattered her heart.   
  
Rhodey tightened his grip on Peter, “I will _never_ stop looking for him.”   
  
Peter leaned back in his arms to look him in the eye,  “Promise?”   
  
“Yeah, Pete.” He nodded, “I _promise._ ”  
  



	11. The Missing Piece

Pepper’s life after Tony’s disappearance changed in an instant, she was no longer a secretary to the richest man in America, she was the guardian of his son. It wasn’t a hard decision to stay for Peter, she adored him, and she couldn’t imagine what he had to go through every day.  She couldn’t leave him behind knowing that in during all madness, he lost both his dad and his uncle Rhodey, who they hadn’t seen in almost three weeks. He spent most of his time searching, trying his best to keep his improbable promise to Peter.  
  
Peter walked into the kitchen, where Pepper was attempting to make a cake; he placed a hand on his stomach as he giggled at the sight of her face, which was covered in flour, “Hey, stop laughing.” She said, faking a serious tone.  
  
“I thought you were good at cooking,” Peter said walking over and dipping his finger into the bowl; Pepper playfully pushed his fingers away.  
  
“I can cook anything for dinner, pasta, lasagna, curry but I’m rubbish at anything sweet.”  
  
“I’m not.” Peter shrugged, “I can help.”  
  
“Have you finished your homework?”  
  
“Yep.” He said, “I did it all yesterday.”  
  
“And Jarvis didn’t help at all this time, did he?”  
  
“ _No Ms. Potts, I just played his favourite playlist_.”   
  
Pepper raised her eyebrows as she stared at Peter, he shrugged and held his arms out, “I didn’t. Last time I only asked him ’bout English.”  
  
She leaned over and bopped him on the nose, leaving behind a white smudge of flour, “Just because it isn’t science or math doesn’t mean it isn’t important.”   
  
“I know.” He groaned, “Did I tell you?! My teacher gave me Grade 4 questions for Science ’cause I finished all the other work.”   
  
“Grade 4!” Pepper exclaimed, “Peter, that’s amazing.” She watched his triumphant face fall, “What’s wrong?”   
  
He darted his eyes away to the floor as he let out a long exhale, “I wanna, I wanna tell Dad.” He shrugged half-heartedly, Pepper reached to gently push his chin up, so that he was looking into her eyes.  
  
“He would be so proud of you.” She reassured him, “Okay?”  
  
“And I can tell him when he gets back,” Peter said, a small though unsure smile grew on Pepper’s face.  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” She stuttered, “Now, why don’t you help me finish this cake, and we can watch some television?”  
  
“Okay.” He hopped down, “I think we should start again.”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“Yeah.” He picked up a bag off the table, “This is the wrong flour.” 

* * *

Peter let Pepper chose their Thursday night film every week because every movie he loved, Tony loved too and he couldn’t bring himself to watch the classics they had always watched together. Pepper curled onto the couch, while Peter sat down on the floor with paper spread across the coffee table as he drew pictures.  
  
“What are you drawing?” She asked.  
  
“Us.” He held it up, “Making the cake.”  
  
“That’s very good.” She smiled, “What are you going to do with all these drawings?”  
  
“They’re for Dad.” Peter answered, “So he knows what we’ve been doing.”  
  
Pepper’s smile crumbled, and she hummed back a response; she let out a hesitant breath before moving off the couch and sitting down next to Peter as he scribbled away, “Peter…”  
  
“Dad is coming back.” Peter snapped defensively.   
  
Sometimes Pepper forgot that Peter was only seven, he was wise beyond his years. He’d always been ridiculously intelligent, he wasn’t only academically skilled, he also understood social cues better than people double his age. It had made Pepper’s job of looking after him not particularly easy, he wasn’t like most children, but she loved him all the same.   
  
“I know, darling.” She sighed trying to find the right words she could say. He was smart, _yes_ , but at the same time, he was still a child. “Sweetheart, I need you to understand, that there is a chance. A small chance, but it’s there...that he won’t come back.”  
  
Peter’s pencil dropped from his grasp, and he peered up at her with his familiar wide-eyes, “He will. Uncle Rhodey promised and Dad... wouldn’t leave me.”  
  
Pepper darted her eyes up to the ceiling trying to stop herself from crying, her chin trembled as she reached over and wrapped an arm around him. She leaned forward kissing his unruly brown hair, she twiddled his hair with his fingers, “I get it.” She whispered, “But whatever happens, I’m not going anywhere, okay?”   
  
“I know.”  
  
Pepper leaned back, cupping his cheek with her hand, “Now, maybe…” She gestured to the table covered in Peter’s artwork, “I should get a scrapbook for all of these? And we can put them all together for your dad.”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded, “I wanna do that.”

* * *

Thousands of miles away, hidden deep within caves in Afghanistan, Tony Stark was sat with one thing on his mind, _his son_. Peter was at the forefront of every dream, and every waking moment Tony spent fighting for his life, surrounded by terrorists he knew would kill him when his work was done. He hadn’t mentioned Peter, those thoughts he kept to himself, he knew how dangerous those around him were, and the last thing he wanted was a price on Peter’s head too.   
  
Yinsen was the only man he trusted, as much a prisoner as he was. They both sat in the corner of the cave, playing a game to pass away the time, counting down to their probable demise, “You still didn’t tell me where you’re from.”   
  
“I’m from a small town called Gulmira.” Yinsen answered, “It’s actually a nice place.”  
  
The thought of Peter coursed through Tony’s head, alongside memories of both Rhodey and Pepper, the only family Tony had, he sighed deeply, “You got a family?”  
  
“Yes.” Yinsen said, “And I will see them when I leave here.” He looked up to Tony, “And you, Stark?”  
  
Tony stared at him as a small smile grew on his cheeks, “I have a son.”   
  
Yinsen’s eyebrows raised in surprise and he smiled warmly, “And he’s the one your fighting for?”  
  
“Always.” Tony said, “I’m gonna see him again, I have to, I have to get back to him, whatever it takes. I can’t die, I can’t do that to him. He’s only seven, he’s lost so much already.”   
  
“We’ll both see those we love again.” Yinsen said reassuringly, “I’m sure of that.”  
  
“Me too.” 


	12. Closing The Distance

Peter spent most of his spare time down in Tony’s workshop, mostly talking to Jarvis, or reassuring both DUM-E and U that _their_ father was coming home. He made simple repairs to things he knew he could handle, like the loose fitting on DUM-E’s hinge.   
  
“DUM-E, I fixed this yesterday.” Peter moaned, noticing the creaking sound coming from the robot as he moved, “How did you do this?”  
  
“ _He kept spinning on the spot_ ,” Jarvis told him, his tone almost snarky.  
  
Peter chuckled as he placed a hand on the side of DUM-E, he reached for a screwdriver and started to tighten the bolt, “I might have to switch you off if you keep spinning.” DUM-E beeped back an alarmed response, “Not really.”   
  
“ _They are both very loud Peter_ ,” Jarvis remarked.  
  
“Don’t be mean, Jay.” Peter mocked placing the screwdriver down onto the desk, “There you go as good as new.” DUM-E beeped joyfully, “No moving.”    
  
Peter sat down in Tony’s chair and span around until he was facing the entrance into the room; he grinned warmly when he saw Pepper skipping down to the main entrance, when she made it to the door, he noticed tears coursing down her cheeks, and her hands were shaking as she tried to key in the code.  
  
He bolted over from his seat and yanked the door open before he could even ask her what was going on, she bent down and pulled him into a hug, as she laughed in-between hesitant sobs, “Pepper, what is it?”   
  
Pepper leaned back staying on her knees, so they were both at the same level, she placed her shaking hand on Peter’s cheek,  “They found him.” She stuttered, “They found your dad, Peter. He’s-he’s okay.”   
  
Peter gasped as a large force hit his chest and knocked the air clean out of his lungs. The news settled onto his small shoulders, and he let out a hesitant breath as he realised, his dad was alive. He was going to see his dad again. He chuckled nervously as tears welled in his eyes, he grunted out an inaudible mess of words, he swallowed the lump that was lodged in his throat, “Really?”  
  
“Yeah, _yeah_.” Pepper nodded brushing a hand through his hair, attempting to anchor him from the genuine shock, “He’s coming home, sweetheart.”  
  
“He’s coming home.” Peter sniffled, “That’s...cool.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Pepper giggled, “That’s really cool.”  
  
“Can...can I talk to him?”   
  
“Of course.” She beamed, “Uncle Rhodey said you can call him now if you’d like.”  
  
“Yes!” Peter exclaimed as tears coursed down his cheeks, “Yes, please.”  
  
Pepper held out her trembling hand, “Come on then.” Peter wrapped his hand around hers, and they both skipped up the stairs towards the main living area. She reached forward and grabbed the phone, instantly dialling the number.   
  
Peter waited by her side, wobbling back and forth impatiently. After three months without Tony, he felt like he couldn’t wait any longer to see him again.  
  
“Hey, it’s me.” Pepper sighed, “I have--I have Peter here with me.” A smile crawled over her face, and she nodded as she listened to the other end of the call, “Okay.” She moved the phone away from her ear and held it down in front of her, “Here you go.”   
  
Cautiously Peter wrapped his hand around it and pressed it to his hair, “Hello?” He said softly, with a sense of uncertainty.  
  
“ _Peter_?” Tony’s familiar voice cracked through the receiver.   
  
Peter’s knees buckled underneath him and he sank down onto the ground, “Dad!” He cried out as Pepper took a seat opposite him, “Dad! Is that really you?!”   
  
“ _Hey, kid_.” Tony sang gently, “ _It’s me, it’s me. I’m okay, I’m on my way home._ ”  
  
“Where did you go?” He sobbed, “I didn’t know where you were!”   
  
“ _I’m sorry Pete, I am so sorry.._.”  
  
“I missed you!”   
  
“ _I missed you too so much_.” Tony told him, “ _Hey_ …” He stopped, and another voice echoed in the background, “ _I’ve gotta go, kid, I’m getting on the plane. I love you to the moon and back._ ”  
  
“Me too.” Peter choked out, “To the moon and back.” He moved the phone down into his lap as he tried to process the fact he had just spoken to his dad, after months of waiting for him to come home.  
  
Pepper reached forward taking hold of the phone, “You okay?”  
  
“Am I asleep?”   
  
Pepper placed her hand on his cheek brushing away tears, “No. This is _real_ sweetie, your dad’s coming home.” 


	13. Safe In My Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by the song 'In My Arms' by Plumb.

Peter didn’t get a second of sleep the night before Tony came back, he was up all night finishing the drawings in the book that Pepper had helped him put together, the one that could show Tony everything Peter had been up to since he went missing. Even with no sleep, Peter was his usual joyous hyper-self when Pepper called him for breakfast.  
  
In the car journey to the airport, he just shook with joy, his happiness warmed Pepper’s heart, she hadn’t seen him this happy since before Tony was kidnapped.   
  
Happy stood guard as Peter gripped tightly onto Pepper’s hand tightly in anticipation. The hanger doors slowly opened, revealing Tony and Rhodey. Peter jumped up and down in sheer excitement, overwhelmed by the sight of his father; Pepper joyfully watched him as he flailed around as if it were Christmas Day.   
  
Rhodey bent down to help Tony rise from the wheelchair he was sat in. Tony looked up and stopped dead in his tracks when he locked eyes with Peter. His expression softened, and he let out a small chuckle. He separated from Rhodey’s tight grip and darted down the ramp against the protests his friend shouted after him. He ignored the numbing pain in his leg as he limped towards Peter as quickly as he possibly could.   
  
Peter’s fingers slipped from Pepper’s, and he bounced over, in an instant, his happy facade crumbled as the three months without Tony caught up to him and weighed him down. Tony knelt down as Peter jumped off his feet and collided with his chest, Tony exhaled deeply as he folded one arm around Peter’s back, his other was being supported by a sling. He fell back onto his heels, as Peter leaned into him.   
  
“Hey…” He sang softly into Peter’s ear, “Did you miss me, bud?”   
  
Peter chuckled through his hesitant sobs, “Yeah.”   
  
“Yeah?” Tony sniffled as he clung onto his son, “Here, wait a second.” He leaned backwards, Peter watched him intently; Tony reached up and tore the sling that was holding his right arm in place.   
  
Rhodey groaned frustratedly, “Tony…”   
  
“Rhodey…” Tony sighed, peering up at him, “I have not seen him in three months, I don’t give a _crap_ about a fractured wrist.”  
  
Rhodey crossed his arms over his chest, knowing protesting would be unfruitful, Tony tossed the sling back over his shoulder.  
  
“So…” He cupped his hand over Peter’s tear-stained cheek, he used the cuff of his blazer to brush away the tears, “Come on.” He coaxed Peter back into his open arms, “God, I’ve missed you.”  
  
Peter moved his head and leaned his chin on Tony’s shoulder, “Where’ve you been?  
  
“Far away.” Tony muttered as he pulled Peter in closer, “That was... _far_ far away.” He supported Peter’s weight as he lifted him up in his arms, Peter locked his legs around Tony’s torso, “It won’t happen again.”  
  
“Yep,” Peter said, with the familiar exuberance and innocence that Tony had missed.   
  
Tony turned around to face Pepper, who smiled trying to hide her bloodshot eyes, he snickered lightly, “Your eyes are red.” He commented, “Few tears for your long lost boss?”  
  
Pepper rolled her eyes as she chuckled, “Tears of joy.” She gestured to Peter, Tony nodded at her before turning to plant a kiss on Peter’s temple   
  
“Thank you Ms. Potts.”   
  
“No problem, Mr. Stark.” She moved forward placing a hand on Peter’s back, “It was a pleasure.”  
  
“Well…” Tony rolled his tongue, “Vacation’s over.” He stepped away walking towards the car, Happy opened the door, “Thanks Hap.” He grinned, “Come on kiddo in you get.”  
  
Peter jumped down scrambling into the middle of the car while Tony and Pepper sat on either side of him; Peter leaned his head over into his dad’s side, never wanting to lose sight of him again.   
  
Happy turned back, “Where to, sir?”  
  
Pepper leaned forward, “Take us to the hospital, please.”  
  
“No, no,” Tony said shaking his head.  
  
“Tony…” Pepper sighed defeated, “You have to go to the hospital.”  
  
“I don’t have to do anything.” He told her as he moved his hand over to ruffle Peter’s hair, not particularly wanting to discuss what he went through in front of him, “I was in captivity for three months.  There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger…”  
  
“Yay,” Peter mumbled under his breath; Tony chuckled lightly.  
  
“Tony?”  
  
“I want you to call for a press conference now.” He told her, Pepper’s forehead creased in confusion.  
  
“Call for a press conference?” She asked, “What on earth for?”  
  
“Yeah, Hogan, drive.” Tony leaned back, “Cheeseburgers first.”  
  
“Can we got to Burger King?” Peter asked, “We had McDonald’s on Friday.”  
  
“You had McDonald’s without me?” Tony asked pretending to be offended; Peter’s face dropped, Tony chuckled as he messed with his son’s hair, “I’m kidding _Petey-Pie_. Burger King, it is.”  
  
“On it, sir,” Hogan said.  
  
“Dad, I got something for you,” Peter said joyfully, he leaned forward and pulled out his scrapbook from behind the passenger chair.   
  
“Oh, what is this?” Tony took hold of it, flipping through it. He heart stopped dead in its tracks when he saw all the pictures Peter had carefully drawn while he was away, he could hear the quiet hum of his arc reactor in the silence as he waited for Peter to answer.  
  
“I drew everything that happened when you were gone.” Peter said warily as he quietly registered his Father’s sadness as he turned over each page, “Sorry I didn’t mean to….make you sad.”  
  
“Hey.” Tony shook his head looking down at Peter, “No, no, no. Buddy, I’m not sad.” He closed the book and combed his hand through Peter’s hair, “They’re amazing, thank you.”  
  
“No problem.” Peter smiled, he leaned over and curled into Tony’s side, “I knew you were gonna come back.”  
  
“Yeah?” Tony kept brushing his hand through Peter’s messy hair, he didn’t know if it was a comfort for him or Peter or both of them. “I knew I was coming back too.”   
  
“Okay.” Pepper cut into the conversation as she quickly typed on her phone, “The conference will be ready when we get there.”  
  
“Thank you.”


	14. The Conference

Tony stared anxiously out the window as they pulled up to the front of the conference hall, he had been there many times before, but since returning from Afghanistan everything around him felt unfamiliar and strange like he was starting his life anew. The only thing anchoring him down to reality was his son, who was almost finished eating his cheeseburger. Peter was the constant in Tony’s life; _he was never going anywhere._  
  
Tony turned to Peter, who was lifting his head to see the crowds of people waiting, “Ready, kid?”   
  
“Can I stay with you?” Peter asked quietly.   
  
“Yeah, you can stay with me.”   
  
“Thanks.” He muttered softly.   
  
The crowds began to cheer and roar for Tony’s arrival, Stane clapped as he skipped over towards the car, “Look at this!” He exclaimed as he pulled the door open, he held out his arms, “Tony!” Tony scrambled up and walked into Stane’s open arms, patting his back a few times, “I thought you’d be in a hospital.”  
  
“No.” Tony said as he turned around back to the car, he held his hand out, and Peter clutched onto it as he hopped out, “Stay close.”  
  
“Look at you,” Stane said, tapping Tony’s shoulder ignoring Peter’s existence, which he’d be doing since Tony adopted him.   
  
Tony ignored Stane to bend down to Peter’s level, “You alright? Do you wanna stay in the car?”  
  
“I’m okay.” Peter said, “Let’s do this.”  
  
“That’s my boy.” Tony leaned back up; Happy stood behind him holding the Burger King bag, Tony buried his hand and took out the burger.   
  
“Oh, burger, you had to have a burger.” Stane commented, “Did you get me one of those?”  
  
Tony shrugged, “Sorry, there was only two left, Pete and I needed them.”   
  
Crowds of press swarmed the trio as soon as they stepped inside. Peter attached himself to Tony’s side, overwhelmed by the attention. “Obi, hold this.” Tony handed his burger over to Stane, he bent down and picked up Peter, saving him from the mess of the press. Peter wrapped his legs around his torso as Tony supported him with his one good arm. He gestured over to Stane, who handed him back his burger, “Thanks.”  
  
Stane skipped into the room which was alive with applause and cheers, “Hey, look who’s here!  
  
They wadded their way through the crowds of press screaming questions at Tony, “I’ve got you bud.” He whispered to Peter, who had laid his head on his shoulder to hide away, “You can go to Pepper if you need to.”  
  
“No, I’m good.”  
  
They made it to the platform at the front, Tony sat down in front of the stand and guided Peter onto his lap, he bit into his burger while keeping one hand firmly wrapped around his son’s front. Stane hummed into the microphone before realising that Tony had sat down.  
  
“I hope you don’t mind Peter being here.” Tony said, “It’s just, we haven’t seen each other in ages.” He mumbled, “And he’s adorable, so none of you can complain.”  
  
“Dad!” Peter whined the press chuckled lightly.  
  
“Okay.” Tony lifted his hand in the air and lowered it down, “Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down?” The press all stared at him, believing he was joking, “Will you sit down?” They all started to sit down after realising he was serious, “That way you can see me, and I can... A little less formal…”  
  
Stane sat down beside Peter and Tony, he reached forward and clutched Tony’s shoulder, wondering where he was heading with this conference. So was everyone else, even Peter.  
  
“Good to see you,” Tony muttered quietly over to Stane.  
  
“Good to see you.” He mirrored.   
  
“I never got to say goodbye to dad.” He said quietly, keeping one hand gripped around Peter, knowing what he had been through in the three months without him, “I never got to say goodbye to my Father.” He said louder so the press could hear him, “There’s questions that I would’ve asked him. I would’ve asked him how he felt about what his company did...if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts.”  
  
Tony had realised in his time away how dangerous and corrupt Stark Industries had become; he wondered if Howard had known and if he did, _why did he keep going_? Did he keep going in the knowledge that those around him could get hurt? Like Tony or Maria. Tony couldn’t imagine letting the company carry on with its destructive capabilities, not with Peter on the line. But he knew he loved Peter more than Howard had ever loved him.   
  
“Or maybe he was every inch of a man we all remember from the newsreels.” Tony shrugged, as he placed the wrapper for his burger down on the floor. Peter peered up at him, giving him a reassuring nod, “I saw young Americans killed...by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them.” He said, “And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability.”  
  
The press started to mutter his name; Tony gestured to a man sat close to the front who had politely put his hand up, “What happened over there?”  
  
Tony sighed; he wasn’t going to get into that, not with Peter nearby, “I had my eyes opened.” He gently pushed on Peter’s back, his son jumped up and took Tony’s hand as he travelled behind the stand, the crowd raised with him, “I came to realise that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I’m shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International…”  
  
Peter gasped simultaneously with the room, Stane rushed over trying to pull Tony away from behind the stand, “...until such a time, as I can decide what the future of this company will be, what direction it should take, the one I’m comfortable with, and is consistent with the highest good of this country and the world.”  
  
Stane pushed Tony away from the stand; Tony stepped down, holding onto Peter’s hand protectively.  
  
“What we should take away from this......is that Tony’s back!” Stane exclaimed, “And he’s healthier than ever.”

* * *

Escaping from the media took longer than Tony had anticipated, but when they finally got home, he’d never felt more relieved to see his front door. He picked up the sleeping form of Peter from the car and walked out with Pepper towards the door.  
  
“So, I’ve started moving back into my apartment…” She whispered, “Some of my stuff is still here though, I’ll pick it up later, sorry about the mess in the guest room…”  
  
“Potts.” Tony sighed as he pushed the door open, “Shush, no need to apologise, I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for Peter.”  
  
“I wasn’t going to leave him with a stranger.” Pepper commented, “Especially not the one Stane planned.”    
  
Tony’s eyebrows knitted together at the thought of Peter being left with a stranger, “Yeah... Stane has never been happy with the way I’ve raised Peter, but I wasn’t going to be like...you know.”  
  
“I know.” Pepper smiled, “You’re a brilliant dad.”   
  
“Thank you.” Tony said, tapping Peter’s back, “You can stay tonight if you want.”  
  
“No, tonight is about you and Peter.” She said, “I will be here at the usual time tomorrow morning.”  
  
“Goodnight.”   
  
“Goodnight, Mr. Stark.” She sang before turning and closing the front door behind her.  
  
Tony nuzzled his face into Peter’s hair, he spun around and took in the familiarity of his home, “Hello Jarvis.”   
  
“ _Welcome home, sir,_ ” Jarvis said quieter than usual.  
  
“Home.” He said softly, still leaning into his son, “Let’s get you to bed, young man.”   
  
Peter sleepily moved his head closer to Tony’s neck seeking the intimacy they had both been deprived of, the connection that had cruelly been ripped away for three months. “Okay.” Peter uttered under his breath, “Bedtime.”  
  
A quiet, unsure chuckle erupted from Tony’s throat as he started the walk up towards Peter’s room; he knew he had fought to come home, but he was still afraid that he was going to wake up and be back in the cave, miles away from him. Peter tight grip and utterly unique mannerisms were proof that Tony was home.  
  
Tony helped a semi-conscious Peter clean his teeth and change into his Star Wars pyjamas; he pushed back the covers as he lifted him and lay him down, making sure he was comfortable.  He brushed his hand through his hair and leaned over, planting a kiss on his forehead before standing up, “Love you.”  
  
“To the moon and back,” Peter mumbled into his pillow, and he curled his legs close to his chest.  
  
“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "he was never going anywhere" - instant 'infinity war' nightmares (I'm a terrible person, really.)


	15. Bad Dreams

Tony lay in his bed, more awake than he had ever been before. He placed his hand over his arc reactor, concentrating on the small vibration it sent through his hand. Proof that he was alive. Alive, and back home, and Peter, who was only two bedrooms away from him, instead of seven thousand miles.   
  
He exhaled as he brought his hand to his face, his concerned mindset had him on red alert, he wanted to check on his son continually. To make sure he was breathing, to make sure he was _real_. He knew it was self-deprecating, but he couldn’t help the fear weighing him down. He didn’t care about what he had been through, only what Peter had.  
  
He bolted upright and yelled out when he heard the door click open, his face softened when he saw a bleary-eyed Peter hovering in the doorframe, startled by Tony’s outburst.  “Peter…” Tony gulped, “Buddy, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean...Oh, God.”  
  
“It’s okay.” Peter said, “Can I sleep in here?”   
  
Tony stared at him, completely ashamed that he shouted at him, he studied Peter’s face as he nodded and tapped the space next to him, “Yeah, yeah, of course.”  
  
Peter beamed, he shut the door and waddled over to the bed, “Did you have a bad dream?” He asked as he sat down next to him.  
  
“Kinda.”   
  
Peter sighed defeated, “Me too.”   
  
“Yeah?” Tony asked, “What about?”  
  
“You.” He said, twiddling his thumbs, he shrugged, “It’s been a long time since you went missing.”   
  
“I guess it has.” Tony titled Peter’s chin up with his finger, “But I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Peter nodded, out of pure curiosity, he moved his finger forward and prodded the arc reactor, which was shining through Tony’s pyjama t-shirt. Tony had explained what it was in the car, but Peter hadn’t had a chance to see it, “This keeps you alive.”  
  
“Yeah, it does bud.”   
  
“Nice.” Peter marvelled, “It’s awesome.”  
  
Tony chuckled nudging his side, “Yeah, I guess it is.” He wrapped his hand around Peter’s and playfully pulled him back while tickling him, “Come on, we have to go to sleep.”  
  
“Stop it.” Peter laughed as he squirmed around, trying to escape Tony’s troublesome mischief.  
  
“Okay, okay.” Tony leaned forward and pulled the duvet up over them, “Let’s get some sleep.”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter curled up, laying his head on Tony’s chest as his dad wrapped an arm around him. Tony twiddled Peter’s hair, hoping it would help him drift off.  
  
“You can’t be comfy,” Tony remarked, noticing that the side of Peter’s head was on top of the arc reactor.  
  
“It’s good.” Peter reassured him, “It makes a nice noise.”

* * *

Pepper was overcome by a strong sense of déjà vu when she stepped into the Stark household. The first thing she heard was laughter echoing from the kitchen followed the familiar smell of Tony’s infamous pancakes. An unexpected smile grew on her face as she walked into the kitchen to meet them both, she’d come with bad news about the company, but the sound of Peter’s infectious laughter was enough for anyone to forget their troubles.   
  
“Hey, Pepper.” He was sat by the breakfast bar, still in his pyjamas.  
  
“Shouldn’t you be heading off to school?” She asked as Peter shook his head.  
  
“I phoned in.” Tony said as he turned away from the stove, “They said we could have as much time as we want for Peter to settle back into our old routine, right buddy?”  
  
“Yep, and it starts with pancakes.” Peter grinned, digging into his breakfast.   
  
“Nice.” Pepper said, “Okay, Tony, we have a lot to talk about.”  
  
“I thought you might say that.” Tony said, “I know what I did yesterday was a surprise…”  
  
“You can’t call that a surprise, Tony.” Pepper told him, “That...that was a bombshell this is gonna impact your life more than you know.”  
  
“Potts, I knew what was going to happen if I did this.” Tony reassured her, “I’ve had three months to think about it.” He placed a hand on his chest, “I saw people….” He dotted his eyes over to his son, “Innocent people die, and I had to stop.”  
  
“I get that, but you could have, perhaps done it with a little more subtlety.” She shrugged, “Anyways, I’ve got calls to answer and emails to send. I’ll be in the office.”  
  
“Thank you, Ms. Potts,” Tony said as she turned and walked out towards the office.  
  
Peter span on his chair to face Tony, who was staring at the space Pepper had been standing; Peter cringed while letting out a prolonged disgusted groan; Tony turned to him with one raised eyebrow, “You like _like_ her.”  
  
“No, I do not.” Tony said defensively, “I like...her like a friend, but not like a…” He swallowed his rambling, “And anyway, Mister, what do you know about it?”  
  
“Okay.” Peter mused, “Anyways, Dad, I’m proud of you.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“You are not making weapons anymore.” Peter said, “That’s kinda cool. I never liked them.”  
  
“Really?” Tony said with a quizzical tone, “What do you think we should build instead?”  
  
“Things like Jarvis, and DUM-E.” He shrugged, “They could be helpful for other people too.”  
  
“ _I don’t think DUM-E could be helpful to anyone else_ ,”  Jarvis said.  
  
Tony and Peter erupted into fits of laughter, bending forward to hold their stomachs as they cackled, “Wow Jay, did you get meaner since I’ve been gone?”   
  
“ _Peter has been watching a lot of Spongebo_ b.”   
  
“He likes Squidward.”   
  
“I can see that.” Tony shook his head as he giggled, “Okay kid, maybe you’re right, I can build good things.”  
  
“Save more people.”   
  
His eyes crinkled in the corner as he smiled, “Yeah...save more people.”


	16. Talk Shows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Panic attacks

Peter spent the latter half of his afternoon sat in front of the television with Pepper, while Tony was downstairs in his workshop. Peter was reading _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret_ s, which was propped against his folded legs; he was ignoring the news channels Pepper was watching, as they were hating on Tony.  
  
“Peter.” Pepper said snapping her fingers in front of his face, he snapped out his reading zone and looked up, “Your dad wants me to go and help him with something, so you can have the TV if you like.” She held out the remote, Peter took it off her and placed it on the armrest.  
  
“Thank you,” Peter said, closing his book.  
  
“See you in a minute.” She said, skipping away towards the workshop stairs.   
  
Peter was taken aback when he peered up to the television and saw his face on the broadcast; it was a picture of Tony carrying him through the crowds at the press conference. Without even thinking about it, his curiosity swallowed him whole, and he fumbled for the remote, unmuting the television.   
  
“ _I think this picture paints a thousand words_.” A female voice said as the channel cut back to a table of three people, two men and her. It wasn’t the news, Peter recognised as early evening talk show that Pepper sometimes watched, “ _Tony Stark is very protective of his son_.”  
  
_“And that’s his problem.”_ One of then men shrugged, he gestured forward _, “Howard Stark was not a good Father, we all know that, but he was brilliant at running the company. At least he had the mentality to keep the company going! Tony is too soft, adopting the Parker boy was a mistake, and that kid is the reason the company is gonna fall under.”_  
  
“ _I don’t think we can blame the kid._ ”  
  
Peter smashed the off button and tossed the remote control across the room; he flinched when it ricocheted off the wall and shattered. He lunged off the couch, his book plummeted to the floor, and the sound sent a painful chill up his spine. He froze in the centre of the living room, he could hear his heart thud loudly in his chest, and his vision disfigured into intangible wavy lines.  
  
“Dad.” He said breathlessly; he stepped forward; the carpet beneath him softened underneath his feet, his knees buckled, and he collapsed down to the ground. The sound of Jarvis’ voice echoed throughout the room; he scrunched his eyes shut and brought his hands to his ears, pressing them down to block out the AI. He was sure he was screaming, but no noise made it out of his throat; he tried to breathe, but the more he tried, the harder it became.   
  
“Peter!” Tony’s familiar voice echoed, breaking through to Peter, “Bud?”  
  
Peter opened his eyes, his sight was out of focus, but he could make out the figure of Tony knelt in front of him. “Dad….” He cried, Tony cautiously wrapped his fingers around Peter’s wrist and separated them from his ears.

Tony guided Peter’s wrists down into his lap; he gently pushed Peter’s chin up so that he was looking directly at him, “Hello. _Hi_. It’s me.”   
  
Peter flinched in his grasp and closed his eyes again, not saying a word back to Tony as a series of sobs, escaped his throat.   
  
“Jarvis, dim all the lights, please.” Tony ordered urgently as he stroked his hand through Peter’s hair, “Hey kiddo. I’m here.” He reassured him as the lights around them dimed down to their lowest setting, “What’s going on?”   
  
“I can’t---” Peter sobbed, “ _Dad_ \--”  
  
“Peter, open your eyes.” Peter blinked his eyes open, “There you go, focus. What can you see right now?”  
  
“You…” He brought his hand up and pulled on Tony’s shirt, threading the material through his fingers, trying to anchor himself with touch and familiarity. He darted his eyes up and noticed Pepper stood a few paces behind, worry shining in her eyes, “Pepper…” His breath hitched, “ _Dad_ …”  
  
“Hey, hey.” Tony brushed Peter’s hair back, comfortingly, “You’re doing so well. It’s just us, okay? You’re safe.”   
  
Peter hiccuped through his tears, “I’m scared."  
  
Tony gasped as his throat seized, he moved forward, leaning his forehead against Peter’s, “Listen to me.” He soothed, "I know this sucks...I know, it’s gonna end, though.” He leaned back, intertwining his fingers with Peter’s hair, “Breath with me.”  
  
“Okay.”   
  
Tony inhaled deeply and watched as Peter mimicked him. After a few minutes of silence, the colour returned to Peter’s chalk-white cheeks, and he breathing steadied as he stared at his dad. Tony brought his hand up and messed up Peter’s hair, “Attaboy, that’s it.”  
  
“Sorry.” He sniffed using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe his face.  
  
“No, no, no.” Tony drew him into a hug and cradled his head, “You’re not in trouble. You did nothing wrong.”   
  
Pepper walked over, placing her hand on Tony’s back, “I’ll get him some water.” She said before hurrying away to the kitchen.  
  
“What was that?” Peter hummed into Tony’s neck; his dad leaned back to look at him.   
  
“It was a panic attack.” He told him, “It happens when we’re scared or anxious. And you feel scared...like you’re gonna…” He coughed, “But they always end, I promise.”  
  
“Why’d it happen?”  
  
“I was gonna ask you that.” Tony said, “Jarvis just told me you were having an attack, and I charged up here.”  
  
“I was…” Peter looked over to the television swallowing the lump in his throat.   
  
“Hey, buddy…” Tony said calmly, moving Peter’s head back towards him, “Just concentrate on me.”  
  
Peter stared at him, intently, “They said it was my fault.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “What do you mean?”  
  
“There was this show, and they were talking ’bout you.” Peter babbled his voice still hoarse, “And the man said it was a mistake.”  
  
“What was a mistake?” Tony asked as he kept twiddling Peter’s hair, trying to stop him from spiralling.   
  
“Me.”   
  
Pepper stopped in the tracks at the sound of Peter’s explanation, Tony stared up at her, both of them sharing the same expression of complete shock and concealed anger.   
  
Peter registered their prolonged silence, “Am I?”  
  
Tony stared at him, “No.” He shook his head repeatedly, “No, _no_ , you are not a mistake.” He leaned forward and planted a kiss on his head; Peter blinked away tears of relief, “Hey…” Tony’s throat cracked as pulled back, “You are the best thing that ever happened to me, okay?”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Hey, honey.” Pepper walked over and placed the cup of water in Peter’s hand, “Drink this.”  
  
“Thanks, Pepper,” Peter mumbled before downing the glass of water all in one.  
  
“Jarvis, what show was Peter watching?” Tony asked, keeping a hand on his son’s shoulder.  
  
“It was Patrick Desmond’s Talkshow, sir.” Jarvis answered, “And the man in question was Justin Hammer.”  
  
Tony brought his fingers to the brim of his nose, “Damn it.” He looked up to Pepper, “Can you contact Hammer Industries and just---”  
  
“I got it, Tony.” Pepper said, attempting to fight back her anger, “Trust me.”  
  
“Oh, I do.” He said as he took the glass out of Peter’s hand and placed it on the floor, he picked up him up in one swoop. “Do you wanna come and help me in the workshop?”  
  
“M’kay.” Peter mumbled, “I feel a bit wobbly.”  
  
“Yeah, that’s normal bud. I’ll ask uncle Rhodey to bring some of your favourite ice cream.” Tony said, walking towards the door and descending the stairs.  
  
“Yay.”   
  
Tony sat Peter down in his desk chair when they made it into the workshop; he playfully bopped his nose before kneeling, “Peter. I never want you to feel like I don’t want you.” He tapped his arc reactor, “I need you. I really do, and I always will.”  
  
“I know.” Peter smiled warmly.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me subtly laying the foundations for my take on 'Iron Man 2.'


	17. Top Secret

Two weeks after his return, Tony only had two things on his mind, at the forefront was Peter, he always was. The other was the plans for a new suit of armour that he believed, well he hoped, could change the world. Help the world in ways building weapons never could, though it needed to be an improvement on the one he made with Yinsen to escape the cave. It needed to be spectacular so that everyone would understand his new mindset towards his company.   
  
“Hey, Dad!” Peter sang as he swung the door open and sauntered into the workshop.   
  
Tony leaned up from where he was sat, “Hey bud….” He trailed off, “You’re home already? Wow, I’ve wasted the day.”  
  
“What are you building?” Peter asked, skipping over to the computer screen; Tony waved his hand, and the screen turned off, "Hey!"   
  
“That’s top secret.”   
  
Peter purposely dropped his jaw in an exaggerated offended expression, “From me!”   
  
“Yeah, from you.” Tony mocked, Peter’s forehead creased as he stared at him, “I’ll tell you when it’s ready.”  
  
Peter exhaled, “Okay.” He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then moved them to point at Tony, “I’m watching you.”   
  
Tony chuckled under his breath, “I was just about to head over to the Air Force base to see Rhodey, do you wanna come?”  
  
“Yeah!"

* * *

  
Peter walked beside Tony as they entered the Air Force Base; the bunker was empty besides a few planes collected together in the middle and a few people scattered around the place all doing their own thing.   
  
“There he is.” Peter pointed out; Rhodey was stood in front of a group of men, “He doesn’t know we’re coming, does he?”  
  
“Nope.” Tony giggled as he reached over and pinched Peter’s cheek, “But no one can be mad when you’re around.”  
  
Peter knocked his hand away as he laughed, “Stop it.”  
  
They walked over until they could catch what Rhodey was saying, “...no unmanned aerial vehicle will ever trump a pilot’s instinct, his insight, that ability to look into a situation beyond the obvious and discern its outcome, or a pilot’s judgment.”  
  
Tony took Peter’s hand and guided him forward, “Colonel?” He chimed in as they both walked into view, “Why not a pilot without the plane?”  
  
“Look who fell out of the sky…” Rhodey chuckled, “Tony Stark.” He gestured to Peter, “And his _mini-me_.”   
  
“You betcha.” Tony smiled, leaning forward to shake hands with the trainee pilots “Would you fine people be okay with me borrowing him for a second? I can tell you’re all bored. Blink twice, if you need saving.”  
  
They chuckled while Rhodey bowed his head into his hand, “Give us a couple minutes, you guys.” The crowd scattered away, Rhodey turned Tony, “I’m surprised.”  
  
“Why?”   
  
“I swear, I didn’t expect to see you walking around so soon,” Rhodey commented.  
  
“I’m doing a little better than walking.” Tony shrugged placing a hand on Peter’s back, “Right bud? We went rock climbing on Saturday it was--”  
  
“Tony.” Rhodey interjected, “I’d love to hear that about that later... but when you talk about Peter, you tend to spiral.”

Peter grinned as Tony placed his hand on his chest and tutted under his breath, “That was rude... but I’ll take it.” He formed a mischievous grin, “Rhodey, I’m working on something big. I came to talk to you. I want you to be a part of it.”  
  
Rhodey let out a long sigh of instant relief as a smile grew on his face, “You’re about to make a whole lot of people around here real happy, ’cause that little stunt at the press conference…” He chuckled as he shook his head, “That was a _doozy_.”  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes as he tried to decide the best approach, “This is not for the military…” He said, “I’m not... It’s different.”  
  
“What?” Rhodey retorted, “You’re a humanitarian now or something?  
  
Tony sighed, “I need you to listen to me.”   
  
“No.” Rhodey dictated, “What you need is time to get your mind right. I’m serious.” He gestured down to Peter, “Do what you were saying, have fun with Peter, and come back to me when your heads screwed back on properly.”   
  
“Okay,” Tony said defeated, knowing no words wouldn’t be able to persuade his friend.  
  
Rhodey stepped back, “It was nice seeing you, Tony.” He looked down to Peter, who was awkwardly standing as he waited for the altercation to be over, “See you around, Pete.”   
  
“Bye.” Peter waved as Rhodey turned and walked back to his group, he looked up at his Dad, “That was a bit mean.”  
  
“A little.” Tony droned, “But I get it; people don’t like change bud.”  
  
“I do.” He sang, “What are you up to?”  
  
Tony turned to him, “I said I’d tell you when it’s finished.”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, “Can we get McDonald's please?”  
  
“Only if you smile.” Tony said jokingly, Peter looked up at him wearing a stern expression, “You can’t pull off angry you’re too cute for that.”  
  
“Dad!” Peter whined dropping his angry facade.  
  
“Come on.” He playfully pushed his back, “Let’s go.” 


	18. Gifts & Well Kept Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Just a quick reminder that to make this AU easier to write, I decided to set Iron Man in New York instead of Malibu. 
> 
> But the Malibu house will appear later on! :)

Peter barely slept the night before his eighth birthday; he had never been able to hold back his excitement when it came to his birthday. Growing up with a spectacular mind, Peter often seemed older than he was, especially when it came to days like Christmas. When he was four, he had questioned the plausibility of Santa Claus, which to Tony’s disappointment led to Peter finding out that he wasn’t real. His birthday was the one day in the year where he was like every other child, overexcited and utterly joyous.

He jumped out of bed early in the morning, unable to contain himself any longer. He bounced down towards his dad’s room, he pushed the door open and stopped in his tracks, when he noticed that Tony wasn’t there. He darted back and hurried down the staircase towards the workshop.

“Dad!” He called as he scanned his hand and stepped into the room, he peered around, wondering if Tony had fallen asleep with his head in his work like used to. Peter crossed his arms over his chest in frustration as he looked around, “Dad? Jarvis, do you know where Dad is?”

The AI remained silent.

Two strong hands wrapped under Peter’s arms and hoisted him up into the air, “Happy Birthday, bud!” Tony laughed using his strength to guide his son up onto his shoulders, Peter dangled his face forward to look his Dad in the eye, “You’re so old now.”

“I’m not old.” Peter snickered, “But you are!”

“Excuse me.” He snorted as Peter leaned up, Tony began to spin on the spot, “Do you think an old man can do this?” He asked, continuing to spin as fast as he could without losing his grip on Peter’s legs.

“Nooooo.” Peter stuttered as he bounced up and down, “I’m getting real dizzy!”

Tony stopped spinning and closed his eyes, “You and me both, kid.” He tapped Peter’s leg, “So, presents first and then go out for breakfast? What do you think?”

“Yep!”

“Come on, then.” Tony walked towards the stairs, “You gonna have to duck while we walk up.” Peter lay his head down on top of Tony’s head as they headed towards the living room.

Peter’s presents were scattered across the floor in front of the television, he jumped down from Tony’s back and skipped over sitting down in the centre of them all. “I’m gonna open the one from Ned first; he was really excited about it."

“Go right ahead.” Tony grinned as he sat down on the couch, he brought his hand to his chin and stroked it, “Eight years old.” He muttered as chuckle caught in his throat, “Where has the time gone?”

“I’m not even ten yet.” Peter reminded him as he tore into his present, “Oh, he finished it!!” He exclaimed, holding up a frame, inside was a perler bead design of a Stormtrooper’s head, “He’s been working on this for so long!” He turned it around to look at it, “I can’t believe he gave it to me!”

“He was making it for you.” Tony pointed out, “His mum has been telling me all about it.”

“I love it.” Peter hugged it close to his chest before placing it down beside him.

“Just so you know Potts is bringing your present over this evening, she told me to tell you.”

“Oh, that’s cool!” Peter grinned, “It means I have more surprises.”

Peter tore through the rest of his presents faster than Tony could keep track; he received many Lego sets from his Dad, Star Wars Merchandise from Rhodey, and science kits from the extended family of his Aunt May. Obadiah had got him educational textbooks for subjects that Peter wasn’t particularly interested in, but he had a kind word for everything he received.

After he was finished, he sat, staring at the pile. “You look a sad, bud.” Tony mused, “Upset that you opened them all at superhuman speed?”

“No.” Peter chuckled, “Just…” He got up and sat down next to Tony, “I want to know.”

“Know what?”

Peter tilted his head into his shoulder and looked up at Tony with his Bambi-like eyes. Tony knew this tactic straight away; Peter was attempting to break him, “I want to know what you’re up to…”

Tony shook his head as he bit his bottom lip, he gestured to Peter’s face, “This is extortion, that’s what this is.” He bopped Peter’s nose, “I walked right into that one.”

Peter placed his hands on his stomach as he giggled, “Yeah, you did.”

“Okay kiddo….” He sighed, “You win. I’m working on a suit of armour.”

“A suit of armour?”

“Yeah, something to help save people.” Tony explained layman’s terms, “But it is top secret, only you and Jay know about it.”

“Not DUM-E or U?” Peter asked.

“I’m not worried about them telling anyone.” He snickered, “I mean, who would they tell, or how would they?”

“Out of all your creations, Dad, I think DUM-E might take over the world,” Peter said trying to maintain a straight face, he and Tony stared at each other intently caught in a staring competition. They both collapsed forward holding their stomachs as they broke down into fits of laughter. “Now...I feel bad for DUM-E.”

“Oh, don’t…” Tony cackled, “I’ll get him a present to make up for this.”

“Yeah, get him a scarf.”

“Umm, that’s not a bad idea.” He leaned forward and nudged Peter in the shoulder, “We need to get changed; it’s breakfast time.”

“Can I use the phone to thank Ned, please?” Peter asked, jumping up and heading back to pick up Ned’s present from the pile.

“Yeah, of course.”

Tony felt his heart glow in his chest as he studied Peter’s face. Tony adored that Peter wasn’t phased by the fact that he was the child of a billionaire, he didn’t care that one day he’d inherit it all. Peter never acted self-entitled or selfish. He never begged for gifts or toys, not as the media predicted. He was content with what he had, and Tony could tell by the look on his face, out of all the presents that surrounded him, Ned’s was his favourite.


	19. His Father's Son

Peter decided after joining the third grade that his goal for the year was to learn to play the piano independently, with only YouTube and music books to help. His second-grade goal had been to learn soccer, but he had failed within the first few weeks, he wasn’t going to let himself down again.   
  
“That sounds beautiful honey,” Pepper said, walking into the living room carrying a box wrapped in brown paper and cup of tea. Peter stopped to look up at her; he shifted when he noticed that Obadiah was with her.   
  
“Thanks, Pepper.” Peter smiled warmly, “Hello, Obi.”  
  
“Evening, Peter.” Stane placed a box of pizza down on the coffee table; he turned to Pepper, “Could you go and get Tony for me?”  
  
“Of course, I’ll be right back.” She turned taking the box and cup with her as she walked down into the workshop.  
  
“What are you doing, then?” Stane asked, shooting a look over to Peter; the pair had never really got to know one another over the time Peter had been part of Tony’s world. Rhodey had once compared small talk between Peter and Obadiah to having teeth pulled out. Everyone knew, even Peter, that Stane had never agreed to Tony adopting him.   
  
“I’m learning how to play.” Peter shrugged, “Dad was showing me photo albums, and I saw that Grandma played it. So, I wanted to learn.”  
  
Stane hummed under his breath, “Let me show you something.” He walked over; Peter slid over in the seat, allowing Stane to sit down next to him. “Have you ever heard of Antonio Salieri?”  
  
“No, I don’t think so.”  
  
“Let me show you.” Stane started to play a piece of classical music on the piano; Peter watched furtherly intrigued. “What do you like playing, then?”  
  
“Umm, I kinda like playing _Queen_ at the moment..” 

 “You are definitely your Father’s son.”   
  
Peter felt a smile etch onto his face as he watched Stane play, “You’re very good.”  
  
“I’ve had years of practice.”   
  
Pepper skipped back into the room, “He’ll be right up.” She said, heading over to the couch.   
  
“Thank you.” Stane whistled, “So Peter, are you playing by ear or are you reading the music?”   
  
“Kinda, both.” Peter admitted, flipping the book on the piano, “I’m not that good.”  
  
“Come off it, bud.” Tony said, stepping into the room, “You’ve only been practising for two months and trust me, Obi has had years, so many years.” He stopped when he noticed the pizza box on the table, “Oh no, it went that bad, huh?”  
  
“Just because I brought pizza back doesn’t mean it went bad.”   
  
“Sure, doesn’t.” Tony said as he sat down and took out a slice, “Oh, boy.”  
  
Stane stopped playing and stepped away, leaving Peter sat alone, “It would’ve gone better if you were there.”  
  
“You told me to lay low, and that’s what I’ve been doing.” Tony said with a mouthful of pizza, “I lay low and you take care of all the…”  
  
Stane held his arms out as he walked towards Tony, “Hey, c’ mon In public, the press… This was a Board of Directors meeting.” He explained as he sat down next to Tony.   
  
Tony’s eyes widened, “This was a Board of Directors meeting?”  
  
“The Board is claiming of Post Traumatic Stress. They are filing an injunction.”  
  
Tony’s face crumbled into both confusion and anger, “A what?!”  
  
“They wanna lock you out.”  
  
“Why, cause the stocks dip 40 points?” Tony moved his hands around the emphasize his frustration, “We knew this was gonna happen.”  
  
“56 and a half.” Pepper broke in; Tony turned to her.  
  
“It doesn’t matter. We own a controlling interest in the company!” Tony exclaimed.  
  
“Tony....” Stane sighed trying to regain his concentration, “The Board has rights too. They are making the case that you and your new direction isn't in a company's best interest.”  
  
“I'm being responsible.” Tony said gesturing to his chest, “That's a new direction. For me…” He trailed off when he noticed Stane’s know-it-all expression, “....for the company. I mean, me on the company's behalf being responsible for the way that…Oh, this is great.”  
  
Tony jumped up from his seat, “Oh c’ mon, wait!” Stane exclaimed as Tony moved away from him.  
  
“Come on, bud.” He said gently to Peter; he held out his hand, “Bedtime, I’ve definitely heard enough.”   
  
Peter scrambled up from his seat and hurried to take Tony’s hand, “Hey, hey, Tony, listen.” Stane rambled walking over, “I’m trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them.” He pointed to the arc reactor, “Let me have the engineers analyze that, you know, draw some specs.”  
  
“No.” Tony said blatantly, “No. No. Absolutely not. This one stays with me. That’s it, Obi. Forget it.”   
  
“Well, the pizza is coming back with me.”  
  
“Fine.” Tony shrugged, he held up Peter’s hand and shook it, “It’s bedtime anyway.”  
  
“Tony….” Stane said through gritted teeth.  
  
Tony patted Peter’s back, “Head up, bud; I’ll come up in a sec.”  
  
“Okay, Dad.” Peter let go of his hand and skipped up the staircase; Tony watched him go before turning back.  
  
“You got something to say to me?” Tony asked.  
  
Stane gestured after Peter, “You smother that boy too much, Tony.” He said sternly, “You hold his hand; you carry him at conferences, this kid needs to learn to be…”  
  
“Be what?!” Tony barked, “Ignored, _unloved_?”  
  
“A man.”   
  
“Shut up.” He snapped, “You can shout at me about stocks and all that bullshit, but when it comes to parenting my son, you can shut your trap.”  
  
“Dad! The water’s not working!” Peter called from upstairs.  
  
“Coming buddy!” He tracked back, giving Stane one last glare before disappearing up the stairs; Peter was stood at the top waiting with a toothbrush hanging from his mouth.  
  
“Don’t worry.” He took out his toothbrush, “The water’s fine…. I was just saving you.”   
  
Tony snorted before walking forward and pushing Peter back into the bathroom, “You are _so_ my son.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even trying to pretend that Stane is a good guy. What would be the point?


	20. Not Again

Peter was woken suddenly by a deafening crash echoing throughout his house. He shot out of his bedroom as fast as he could, he skidded to a sudden stop when a wave of cold air hit him.    
  
He crept downstairs towards the source of the chill; he stopped dead in his tracks, when he noticed a gaping hole in his house, starting from a small section in the roof that covered the living room, all the way down to Tony’s workshop.  
  
There were scattered pieces of wood and cement all over, the piano was smashed beyond recognition.  
  
“Dad?” Peter turned, and rushed down the stairs to the workshop, “Dad!” He screamed more desperately; he scanned his hand and charged into the workshop. “Where are you?”  
  
“Hey!” Tony emerged from the corner, holding an ice pack on the back of his head. “I’m right here, bud. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” He stepped closer, “I was testing this new armour out and…” His eyes settled on Peter, “Hey, are you okay?”   
  
Peter bolted over without hesitation and threw himself around Tony’s side, hugging him tightly.  
  
Tony wrapped an arm around him, “Hey, _hey._ I’m okay. I’m sorry; did I scare you?”  
  
“I thought…” Peter stuttered as tears brimmed in his eyes, “I thought someone took you…..”   
  
“Shit.” Tony cursed under his breath, “I’m sorry, Pete, but I’m fine, _totally_ fine. No one’s gonna take me away from you. Not again.”   
  
“I know…” Peter hummed, “The crash was just really loud, and I didn’t know what it was.”   
  
“Sorry, kiddo.” He bent down and planted a comforting kiss on Peter’s unruly hair.   
  
“Can I sleep in your room tonight?”   
  
“Yes, of course.” Tony said, rubbing his back, “Let’s me just grab a drink, and we can head up.” He eyed the mug that Pepper had left with a wrapped box, he grabbed the drink and started to sip it.   
  
“What’s that?” Peter asked, pointing at the box.  
  
“I don’t know.” Tony shrugged, “Let’s have a look.” He placed the mug down and started to tear back the tape on the box. He unravelled a glass case, which contained his first arc reactor, printed around it were the words, ‘ _Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart_.’   
  
“Wow.” Peter said, hovering behind, “That’s nice. Does she….like _like_ you too?”   
  
“Alright, you asked for this.” With one swift movement, he picked Peter up and hung him over his shoulder, “Bedtime.”  
  
“No.” Peter laughed, dangling his arms in front of him as he swung freely, “I was just joking.”  
  
“Okay ‘ _just joking_ ’ it’s bedtime!” Tony said, walking up the stairs, when they reached the top, he placed Peter back down. He cringed at the sight of the mess, “I broke the piano.”  
  
“Yeah…” Peter stepped forward, “And the roof, and the floor.”   
  
“I misjudged that.” Tony commented, “Oh well, I’ll get it all fixed up, and I’ll get you a new piano.”  
  
“Thanks.” Peter pulled gently on Tony’s hand, and they both jogged upstairs.  
  
“Hey, kid, _kid_.” Tony said, “You’re still shaking.” He knelt in front of him, “And it’s not cold shaking, it’s _scared_ shaking.”  
  
“It was loud.” Peter shrugged, “I thought--”  
  
“No one could get into this house, not even with a gaping hole in the roof because no one knows where we live.” Tony said, “We’re safe.”  
  
“Then we did they take you?!” Peter bellowed, “If we’re safe, why did they take you?”  
  
Tony propped his forehead on Peter’s as he let out a deep exhale, “Peter, I was far away when that happened. I was an idiot, I made your uncle Rhodey ride without me. But right now, we’re home. And I’m fine, and you’re fine.”  
  
“And they won’t take you again?”  
  
“No.” He reassured him, “They won’t take me again. Kid, I got out, and I got home, I don’t want you to worry.”  
  
“Okay.”   
  
Tony leaned back and brushed Peter’s hair out of his eyes, “Come on, let’s both get some sleep. We better wrap up warm with that delightful breeze coming from downstairs.”


	21. The Benefit

Peter was curled in front of the television watching _Spongebob_ ; he was waiting for Tony to come up from the workshop and tell him it was time for bed.  It was past his bedtime, but he decided to keep that quiet. He often got to rebel and stay up late, but only when Tony was hard at work or until Jarvis would report him.   
  
“Okay, kiddo…” Tony said, bouncing up the stairs.  
  
“Nooooo.” Peter groaned, leaning his head back, “I’m not tired yet.”  
  
“Oh, _really_?” He placed hands on his hips as he sauntered over, “Okay? If you’re so sure, fancy going out?”  
  
“On a school night?”  
  
“Yeah, on a school night.” Tony scoffed mischievously, “Only if you promise you won’t fall asleep in any lessons.”  
  
“Never.” Peter grinned, “Where are we going, then?”  
  
“The third annual benefit for the Firefighters Family Fund.” Tony told him, “Let's get dressed, and we can head off.”  
  
“Okay!” Peter exclaimed as he hopped up, “Can you help me with my tie? I’m still rubbish at it.”  
  
“You got it, kid,” Tony said, pushing on his back as they headed upstairs. 

* * *

Tony stopped his Aldi outside the red carpet that led up into the Concert hall; he turned to look at Peter, “Come on, then.” He jumped out of the driver's seat, he turned back and folded the seat down so Peter could clamber out, “Ready?”  
  
“Yep!” Peter said excitedly, “I remember the first time we went to this.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s a barrel of laughs.” Tony said, holding out his hand, they locked fingers, “Here.” He tossed the keys to a valet, “Thanks."

“I can see Obi,” Peter said, gesturing through the crowds of guests.   
  
Tony followed gaze and noticed Stane, he shifted and he subconsciously guided Peter closer to his side. They hadn’t seen or spoken to Stane since they argued about Peter’s upbringing.   
  
Tony brought his hand back and itched the back of his head, “Oh yeah. Good spotting, bud.”   
  
“I wonder if Pepper is here too.”   
  
A few women cheered out Tony’s name as they walked the carpet, he smiled warmly at them as he carefully guided Peter through the influx of people. Some people, who had the nerve, cooed for Peter, which Tony found wholly unnecessary and outright disturbing, he glared at him as a warning to not get any closer.  
  
Tony tapped an old man’s back as they weaved their way to the entrance,  “You look good, Hef.”  
  
“So, who else is here?” Peter asked.  
  
“I’m not sure, to be honest.” Tony shrugged, “I wasn’t invited.”    
  
Peter’s face fell in embarrassment, “What?! Dad...we’re not meant to be here.”   
  
“Bud, I pay for this benefit. We don’t really need an invitation.” He snorted, “And hey, you said it yourself, this is fun.”  
  
“I guess.”  
  
“Attaboy!” Tony sang as they strode over to the Stane, “What's the world coming to when a guy's gotta crash his own party?”  
  
Stane turned to face him with a clenched jaw; his expression relaxed when he noticed the flashing of cameras around them, “Look at you!” He sneered, “Hey, what a surprise!”  
  
“Um yeah.” Tony muttered, he reached forward and tapped his shoulder, “We’ll see you inside.”   
  
Stane’s malicious grin crumbled when he noticed Peter stood holding Tony’s hand; he glared at the boy, fully aware that Tony’s back was turned and he couldn’t see the altercation. Peter’s grip on his Tony’s hand tightened as he hid behind his leg.  
  
“Careful there, kiddo.” Tony laughed, turning back, Stane’s false smile grew again, “You’ll break my hand with a grip like that.”  
  
“Sorry,” Peter mumbled.  
  
Stane grabbed Tony’s shoulder, “Listen, take it slow, alright? I got the Board where I really want them.”  
  
“You got it.” He had registered the way Peter was desperately squeezing his hand, as soon as they were inside, he turned to him, “Peter, you okay?”   
  
Peter hummed as he looked back at the entrance way, wearing an expression of utter terror. An expression Tony did not like seeing on his son’s face.  
  
“Buddy, what’s wrong?” He asked, “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s up.”  
  
“Just…” Peter stared down at the floor, “Obi looked like he was angry with me.”    
  
Growing up, Tony had been terrified of Howard, _his own Father_. When he adopted Peter, he promised himself that he would only know love, and never know the fear that stole Tony’s childhood away. That promise shattered, when he saw the look of terror written over Peter’s face - Obadiah scared Peter as much as Howard had once scared Tony.   
  
Tony wanted to tear Obadiah to pieces in that second, but he knew he couldn’t. Not in a public place and not in front of Peter. He wouldn’t risk his son seeing him in the same light as Stane, “I’m sorry bud. Don’t let him get to you. Obi has always been...sharp around the edges.”  
  
“Hm, um. Okay, then.” Peter mumbled, “Can we get a drink?  
  
“Yeah, yeah. A drink sounds good.” Tony spotted the bar and headed over, keeping a firm hold on Peter’s hand. The bartender walked over to them, “Give me a scotch, I’m starving….” He gestured down to Peter, “And a diet coke for this one, thanks.”  
  
“Look, there’s Pepper.” Peter pointed, Tony turned and noticed Pepper stood on the dance floor, “She’s really pretty.”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony sighed breathlessly, “Yeah, she really is.”  
  
“Mr. Stark?” A firm voice came from their side. Tony was snapped out of his daydream and turned to look at the source of the disturbance, the man looked down to Peter and smiled warmly, “And Mr. Parker-Stark.”  
  
“Yeah?” Tony quizzed, his eyes darting back over to Pepper.  
  
“Agent Coulson.” He held out his hand, and Tony shook it.  
  
He tried to quickly rack his brain, “Oh yeah, the guy from the…”  
  
“Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.”   
  
“God, you got…” Tony’s eyebrows raised, “You need a new name for that.”  
  
“Yeah, I hear that a lot. Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There’s still a lot of unanswered questions, and time can be a factor with these things. Let’s just put something on the books. How about the 24th, at 7 p.m. at Stark Industries?”  
  
“Tell you what…” Tony said “You got it! You’re absolutely right. 24th, Stark Industries.”  
  
“He won’t forget.” Peter butt in, “I’ll make him write it down.”  
  
“Thank you, young man,” Coulson said before nodding his goodbye and drifting away from the duo.  
  
“Go on, Dad.” Peter playfully pushed Tony away from him.  
  
“ _What_?”  
  
“Go and dance with Pepper.” He smiled, “And I’ll go and talk to uncle Rhodey.” He said, pointing across the room, Rhodey was sat on a couch in the far corner.  
  
Tony snorted, “When did you become my wingman?”  
  
“Just go.” Peter ordered, he stood on his tiptoes and took his drink off the bar, “I know you want to.”  
  
“Okay, okay.” He sighed, “Promise me you’ll stay with Rhodey?”  
  
“Promise.” Peter started to slip away, “Have fun.” He hurried over to the other side of the room, ignoring members of the press who attempted to coerce him over, “Hey, uncle Rhodey.”   
  
A surprised laugh caught in Rhodey’s throat, “Hey Pete. I didn’t know you were coming. Is your Dad here?”  
  
Peter jumped onto the couch, sitting next to him, “Yeah.” He answered, he leaned forward to place his glass down, “He’s dancing with Pepper.”  
  
Rhodey’s jaw hit the floor, and he leaned up, attempting to catch a glimpse of the pair, “You’re right. Oh, wow, finally.”   
  
“That’s what I said.”  
  
“And what do you know about---” He cut himself off mid-question. The last thing he wanted to be doing on a Monday evening, at a mind-numbingly boring benefit, was explain the birds and bees to his eight-year-old nephew. “Don’t you have school tomorrow?”  
  
“Yeah…” He trailed off, “But Dad thought this might be fun.”  
  
“Is it?”  
  
Peter dotted his eyes around the room, “It’s kinda lame.”  
  
“You said it, not me.”  
  
Peter and Rhodey brushed away their boredom by talking non-stop about topics that interested them, which mostly consisted of them teasing Tony.  For the hour they were sat together, Rhodey didn’t stop laughing. He regrettably hadn’t spent much time with Peter, not since before Tony was kidnapped. He’d forgotten how remarkably funny Peter could be, a trait Tony would be sure to take credit for.   
  
“What is going on with you, Pete?” He laughed, “You’re very bouncy tonight.”  
  
“I don’t think that was diet coke.” Peter buzzed.  
  
“Oh, so you’re running on a sugar high?” He brought his fingers to the brim of his nose, “You’re gonna hate the plummet.”  
  
“Hey….” Tony’s voice cut in, he stepped into their line of sight; he was visibly shaking, and his cheeks were devoid of all colour, “Ready to head off, bud?”  
  
Peter’s smile melted at the sight of Tony, “Yeah, Dad. We can go now.” He said reassuringly as he jumped up off the couch.   
  
Rhodey straightened his back and leaned forward to study his friend, worry glistened in his eyes, “Tones. Hey. You okay?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah....” He stuttered as he held out his shaking hand; Peter grabbed it, Tony subconsciously drew him close to his side, “I’m good.” _Liar._  
  
Rhodey stood up, “You don’t look so good.”   
  
“Rhodey, it’s me.” Tony said, flashing his all-too-familiar false grin, “It’s been a long night.”   
  
“Did something happen with--”  
  
“Rhodey!” He snapped, “I’m okay, another time, maybe.”   
  
Rhodey sighed defeated, “Another time.” He looked down to Peter, “Thank you for making this night bearable, Pete.”   
  
“No problem.” Peter said, “Night.”  
  
“Night.”  
  
Tony nodded his silent goodbye to his friend, before guiding Peter towards the exit. Peter realised that Tony was rushing, trying to get out of the benefit as fast as he could; he had to run up to keep up with his quickened pace, “Dad, what’s going on?” His question went unanswered.   
  
The valet brought the car around, and Tony hurried towards it, gently pulling on Peter’s hand. He lifted his son and helped him clamber in, “Sit in the front.”  
  
As soon as that sentence left his mouth, Peter knew whatever happened; it was severe. Peter knew how safety cautious Tony was when it came to him. He remembered that Rhodey had once said ‘ _extreme helicopter parenting,_ ’ a phrase Tony wasn’t particularly happy to hear.  
  
Tony scrambled over to help Peter with his belt though he struggled with his shaking hands, “It’s okay, Dad.” Peter said, pushing the belt in, “I got it.”   
  
Tony leaned back in his chair, letting out a ragged breath, he pulled his own belt down and clicked it in, “We need to…”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“It’s a long story, bud.” Tony admitted, “Whatever happens now, you are never going to be in the same room as Obadiah ever again. You hear me?”   
  
Tony had prepared himself for an influx of unanswerable questions, but he breathed a sigh of relief when Peter simply muttered, “Okay.”   
  



	22. Play Date

Peter had been excited about his playdate with Ned, they had been planning their mischievous activities for months. However, when the day finally came, all Peter wanted to do was go home; Peter loved Ned, but the only thing he could think about was the benefit. He hadn’t received any answers, but he knew it was about Obadiah, and he knew his dad was angry.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Ned asked as he moved small lego figurine over a few spaces.   
  
“Nothing.” Peter squeaked as he pressed a block down.  
  
“You’re not talkin _’_ that much.” Ned said, “Do you feel poorly?”  
  
“No,” Peter shook his head, “I’m tired.”  
  
Ned stopped what he was doing as he stared at his friend, “Should I tell my Mum?”   
  
Before Peter could answer, Ned’s Mother stepped in holding a tray of cookies and juice,  “Tell me what honey?”   
  
Ned outstretched his arm and pointed at Peter’s face, “He’s tired.”   
  
Peter went to protest but part of him realised that he just wanted to see his dad. Ned’s Mother placed the tray down, “You okay darling?”  
  
“Can I go home now please?” Peter asked.  
  
“If that’s what you want, of course.” She smiled, “Why don’t you have a drink and we’ll head off in a few minutes?”   
  
“Thanks.”

* * *

Pepper couldn't hide her concern when Peter arrived home early from his play date with Ned.  She knew how excited he had been about going, it was all they had spoken about for weeks on end.  She chorused a thankful goodbye to Ned's mother before closing the front door and turning her attention to Peter.  
  
He was sat down at the bottom of the staircase to take his shoes off, “You okay sweetheart?” She asked.  
  
“Yeah.” Peter said, “I just wanted to see dad.”  
  
“Oh.” Pepper studied him, “Did something happen at school?” Peter shook his head, he picked up his trainers and took them over to the shoe rack, “Did something happen...last night?”   
  
Peter nodded and darted his eyes over to the workshop stairs, “Dad was scared.”  
  
Pepper’s forehead creased and she walked over holding her hand out, Peter took hold it, “You can tell me.”   
  
“Um, kay.” Peter squeezed her hand, “It was about Obi.”   
  
“Obi?” She echoed, “Should we go and see if your dad is downstairs?”  
  
“Yes, please.”   
  
Pepper guided him down the workshop stairs, she stopped in her tracks when she noticed the three sash windows, were gone, leaving behind only the frames. Smashed glass was plastered over the bottom stairs,  and on the floor of the workshop.   
  
They could hear Tony’s familiar whining as he snapped at DUM-E.   
  
Peter squeezed past Pepper’s leg to see what was happening, she grabbed his hand, “Hang on darling.” She cautiously walked down; she turned back, picked him up and placed him down on the workshop floor, away from the broken glass.   
  
“Oh hey!” Tony sang through his whines, “I designed this to come off!”  
  
Pepper stepped over avoiding the glass, she noticed Peter’s dropped jaw before looking up. Tony was stood on a plinth dressed in a red and gold metallic suit, which was covered in dents and scraps; his bots were attempting to pull it off but were failing miserably.   
  
Peter was practically vibrating with excitement at the sight of the armour.   
  
Pepper did not share in Peter’s ecstatic joy, her face was drained of all colour, “Let's face it.” Tony said to her, “This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing.”  
  
“This is so cool!” Peter exclaimed as he skipped over, he dotted his eyes to Tony, “Dad, are you a superhero?!”  
  
“I wouldn’t go that far, bud.” Tony chuckled, he winced as the casing around his right hand was pulled away.  
  
Pepper stepped forward, she gasped, “Are those bullet holes?!”   
  
“I can explain.” Tony said defensively, “This might take a while though.”

* * *

  
A _while_ ended up being two and a half hours. Tony had quickly explained to pair that he had travelled to Afghanistan to help civilians who were endangered because of his weapons, weapons sold under the table by Obadiah Stane. Pepper left him to his own devices and took Peter upstairs for dinner.   
  
Peter snuck off back down to the workshop to talk to Tony, while Pepper finished her food. After taking some time to come to terms with what she had seen and heard, she made her way back down through the back entrance; Peter was sitting in the desk chair being twirled around by DUM-E, Tony was sat making a few touches to his now dismounted armour.   
  
“Hey.” Tony greeted warily.  
  
Peter tapped the back of his chair, to signal DUM-E to stop spinning. The bot compelled.   
  
“You busy?” Tony asked getting up; Pepper stopped in her tracks as she placed her hands on her hips, “You mind if I send you on an errand?” He picked up a box from the desk, “You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests.” He handed her a USB, “This is a lock chip. This'll get you in. It's probably under Executive Files. If not, they put it on a ghost drive, in which case you need to look for the lowest numeric heading.”  
  
He headed over to a computer screen, purposefully avoiding eye contact with her.   
  
Pepper sighed as she looked down at the chip in her hands, “And what do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?”  
  
“Same drill.” He said, “They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them.”  
  
“Tony, you know that I would help you with anything,” Pepper started, which was the truest thing she ever said. She had been by his side for two decades, she’d helped raise Peter, which was a highlight of her job. She believed, at the back of her mind, that she would even help Tony hid a body but this was different. He was being reckless with his life, and she couldn’t watch that, “But I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again.”   
  
“There is nothing except this.” Tony said, “There's no art opening. There is no benefit.” He slammed a screwdriver down on the side, Peter jolted, as he watched the altercation from the sidelines, “There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else.”  
  
Pepper dragged her teeth over her lower lip. “Is that so?” She darted her eyes over to Peter who was twiddling his thumbs, “Well, then, I quit.” Peter looked at over her, tears instantly forming in his eyes, as she placed the chip down.  
  
“You stood by my side all these years.” Tony fumed, “While I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?”  
  
“You're going to kill yourself, Tony.” Pepper said cautiously, but she couldn’t help but notice Peter’s small gasp, “I'm not going to be a part of it.”  
  
“I shouldn't be alive…” Tony said breathlessly as he slumped down in his chair, “Unless it was for a reason.”  
  
“You have a reason.” Pepper stepped forward, “And he’s sat over there.” Tony looked up to Peter, who was curled in the desk chair, with his knees drawn to his chest, “You can’t tell me you didn’t fight for him.”  
  
“I did.” Tony said, standing up, “Of course I did, but this, this is something else. Children like Peter are out there...being, you know.” He leaned over placing a kiss in his son’s unruly hair, “I’m not crazy Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my _heart_ that it's right.”  
  
Pepper dotted her eyes between the father and son; Tony’s words reminded her of the night Tony chose to adopt Peter. She knew there and then, she couldn’t abandon Tony, not now. She reached out and grabbed the chip, she pointed over to the pair, “You pair are all I have, too, you know?"


	23. The Bad Guy

Tony watched his son with a heavy heart. Peter was studying the space Pepper had been standing, before she left for Stark Industries. He was clutching onto one of his small Happy Meal toys as he swayed back and forth. Tony could tell he was anxious, but so was he.   
  
“Hey kiddo, you’re breaking my heart here.” Tony said, in an optimistic sing-song tone, “She’ll be right back. You know Potts, stronger than anyone we’ve met, right?”  
  
“Yep!” Peter jumped around, “She’s awesome.”  
  
“Yeah, she is.”  
  
Peter whistled as he skipped over to him, “I’m sorry, Dad.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “What for?”  
  
Peter shrugged as he squeezed tighter on his toy, “I’m sorry Obi is the bad guy.”  
  
“Me too.” Tony said, “I’m sorry I let him in this house, I’m sorry he was such a big part of our lives.”  
  
Peter nudged his leg, “Doesn’t matter.”  
  
“It does.” Tony admitted, “I mean you hated him since you were a baby,  you cried every time you saw him, it’s like you can sense danger.”  
  
Peter hummed in agreement, “So, you’re a superhero now?”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“Yeah!” Peter exclaimed, “And Obi’s the bad guy, like in my comics.” He gestured forward, “And the hero always win!”  
  
Tony chuckled lightly under his breath, “We’ll see.”  
  
Peter moved forward locking himself around Tony’s leg, “You’re my favourite superhero.”  
  
“Thanks, bud.” Tony said, hugging him back, “You are mine.”   
  
“Cool.” Peter leaned back and beamed up at him, “Can I please stay up for Pepper?”  
  
“Um, extortion,” Tony muttered under his breath, “I can’t say _no_ to that face bud, it’s unfair. Yes, you can. But only if you get into pyjamas and go and play in your room until she gets back.”  
  
“Okay!” Peter shuffled away towards the stairs. 

* * *

Peter sat on his bed with his headphones on watching clips on his Stark tablet as he waited for Pepper to return. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned, his tiredness catching up with him; he glanced down at his tablet, it was already nine.   
  
“Um,” He slipped off his headphones, “Jarvis, is Pepper back yet?”   
  
The AI didn’t answer.  
  
“Jay?” Peter swung his legs off the bed, “Are you there?”   
  
Silence.  
  
Peter skipped over to the door and tapped the intercom on the wall, “Jarvis.”  
  
“ _My systems are currently rebooting_.”  
  
Peter’s forehead creased, he pulled the door open and hurried towards the staircase, “Dad, is Pepper back yet?” He asked as he skipped down into the main living area, “Dad?”  
  
Peter turned around on his heel, and his world instantly collapsed down around him. Tony was laid on the ground in a lifeless heap, his eyes were staring vacantly ahead at the wall in front of him; his legs were sprayed to the side, his arms were hung over his head.  
  
Peter screamed, until his throat ran dry, the sound echoed through the living room, and Tony flinched, his eyes darted up to where Peter was standing, “Pete?”  
  
“Dad!” Peter charged over, tears spilling down his cheeks as he fell down beside him, “Dad, Dad.”  
  
“Bud.” Tony’s throat strained as he weakly held out his arm. Peter leaned forward and grabbed his hand squeezing it, “Reactor.”  
  
“Huh?” Peter looked down to notice that the arc reactor was gone, “I don’t---” He sniffled, “I have an idea!” He dashed away, allowing his hand to slip away from Tony’s grasp as he charged down into the workshop.   
  
He burst in and stopped, his eyes looking for one thing - Tony’s first arc reactor, the one Pepper had gifted to him. He wiped away the tears in his eyes, so he could see past his glazed view; he noticed it sat on the desk by the main entrance. He darted over and grabbed it, without a second of hesitation he smashed it off the ground.   
  
“Woah.” Peter jumped back, avoiding the glass; DUM-E beeped his concern, “Don’t worry!” Peter reached down and grabbed the reactor, “I gotta save Dad.”   
  
He charged back up the stairs; Tony was still laid down on the ground, “Peter?” He strained.  
  
“It’s me!” Peter cried, “I got this.” He held up the arc reactor, Tony weakly tried to hold up his hands, but they were shaking extensively, Peter gently nudged them away, “It’s okay, Dad. I can do it.” He leaned over and placed the reactor down into Tony’s chest until he heard a slight click.  
  
Tony gasped sharply as he turned to his side, coughing harshly. Peter watched on while keeping his hand pressed on his dad’s arm. When the coughing subsided, Tony turned, he bolted up and dragged his son into a hug. “You are amazing!”  
  
Peter nuzzled his face in Tony’s chest, “What happened?”  
  
Tony leaned back placing a hand on Peter’s cheek, “It was Obi.” He said hesitantly,  “Are you okay?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter hiccuped, “But that was scary.”  
  
“Sorry, kiddo.”   
  
“Are you gonna stop him?”  
  
Tony held out his hand and Peter grasped it, “Yes, I am.” 

* * *

Peter watched in fascination as Tony suited up, with the assistance of his bots. The armour was no longer chipped or scraped where it had been before, it appeared brand new.   
  
“Wow.”   
  
“Cool right, bud?” Tony asked he stepped away from the bots; the face flap was open so he could look at Peter.  
  
“Yeah.” Peter eyeballed it, “I love it.”  
  
Tony snorted, “Me too.” He walked over, and knelt down in front of Peter, “I need to go and stop Obi, and make sure Pepper is okay. Bud, I hate having to---”  
  
“Tony!” Rhodey’s familiar voice echoed from upstairs interrupting Tony, while simultaneously answering his prayers; Tony did not want to leave his son home alone, “Peter!”   
  
“We’re down here, honeybear!” Tony called, Peter giggled.  
  
Rhodey rushed down the stairs, he stopped at the sight of Tony knelt down in the armour, “You both okay?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony raised from the spot, “Well, Pete saved my life, no biggy.” He said, sarcastically, of course, it was a ‘ _biggy_ ’ but everyone knew, Peter already saved Tony’s life years ago. Peter chuckled under his breath as Rhodey looked over at him, with wide-eyes, “Where’s Pepper?”  
  
“She’s fine.” Rhodey said,  “She's with five agents. They're about to arrest Obadiah.”  
  
“That’s not going to be enough.” Tony sighed, “Can you watch Peter?”  
  
Rhodey nodded, “Of course.”  
  
Tony turned to point at Peter, “You listen to your uncle, okay bud?” Peter nodded, “And I’ll see you later.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter smiled, “Love you.”  
  
Tony stepped back towards the exit ramp, “To the moon and back.” The face flap closed, and the eyes glowed a bright white.  
  
“You need me to do anything else?” Rhodey asked.  
  
“Keep the skies clear.” Tony ran towards the ramp and took off in flight, leaving both Rhodey and Peter stood in awe. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many subtle Spider-Man references can I include before it becomes gratuitous?


	24. A Training Exercise

Peter felt like he was living in one of his favourite comics as he dashed through the main doors of the US Air Force base holding tightly onto his Rhodey’s hand. His uncle had already expressed his dislike for Peter referring to them as two of Tony’s ‘ _sidekicks_ ’ but it didn’t stop Peter from saying it.   
  
“Okay Pete,” Rhodey said in a hushed tone, as he placed Peter’s visitor lanyard around his neck as they hurried through security, “Don’t mention your dad being in the armour, no one can know, got it?”  
  
“I know.” Peter rolled his eyes, “It’s a secret.”   
  
“You got it.” He stood up and tucked lightly on Peter’s arm guiding toward the room. He sped up his pace when the emergency red lights began flashing throughout the corridor, “That’s our queue, Pete!”  
  
Rhodey scanned his pass and the door clicked open; Peter could tell straight away by the reaction of a few air traffic control officers that he was not meant to be in there, but Rhodey kept a firm grip on his hand as they weaved their way through the room.   
  
“Get me, Major Allen. Scramble the jets!” Someone shouted.  
  
Rhodey noticed an officer about to make a call that would blow Tony’s mission, he leaned over and pressed down telephone hook, the officer looked at him, bemused. “Not necessary, people.” He projected his voice so everyone could hear him,  “Just a training exercise.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”   
  
Peter squeezed Rhodey’s hand, understanding that he was unable to exclaim his excitement in words, or in jumps of joy. Rhodey looked back to him flashing his familiar smile.   
  
“Colonel Rhodes!” A rough voice snapped beside them; Peter carefully hid behind his uncle’s leg as Rhodey turned to face the man who had barked at him. The man in question was considerably older than Rhodey, and his face was dark red in obvious fury; he glared down at Peter, “Why is Stark’s kid in here?”  
  
“Sorry, sir.” Rhodey said calmly, “This was all very last minute.”  
  
“Well, get him out of here for Christ sake.” He barked, “This is an Air Force Base, not kindergarten.”   
  
“Of course sir.” Rhodey pushed gently on Peter’s back, “Come on Pete.” He pulled on his hand and guided him towards the exit.   
  
“Sorry I got you into trouble,” Peter said as soon as they were safely out of the room heading down the corridor towards the lobby.   
  
“No problem Pete,” Rhodey reassured him, “Bringing you into work is definitely not the worse thing I’ve done.”

* * *

Peter hated waiting. It reminded him of the three months he spent without his dad, wondering if he would ever come home again. He didn’t want to feel all of that again.   
  
Rhodey could see Peter’s anxiety, he’d kept their spirits up by talking to him about school and movies, but even he couldn’t hide the wobble in his voice as they waited for an update. All he knew was that Tony and Obadiah had been sighted fighting on a highway, but he had no idea how to explain that to Peter, considering he couldn’t even explain it to himself.  
  
They were stood in the lobby of the Air Force base; Peter was gripping onto his uncle’s hand and leaning his head into his side as his tiredness caught up with him.   
  
“Pete?” Rhodey shook his hand, and Peter blinked repeatedly, “You tired?”  
  
Peter brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes, “A little. It’s really late.”  
  
“Yeah, it is.” Rhodey nodded, “I can pick you up if you want.”   
  
“Nope,” Peter said sternly as he shook his head, “I can stay awake. We gotta wait for Dad.”  
  
Rhodey ruffled his hair, “If you’re sure.”   
  
“Um, hm.” Peter drifted into Rhodey’s side as his eyes drooped shut, he tried his best to keep snapping himself out of it.   
  
“At ease soldier,” Rhodey said, he bent down and guided his nephew into his arms; he stood back up, making sure he was supported. Peter nestled his face in his shoulder as he murmured something inaudibly, “I’ll wake you up when your dad gets here.”  
  
“I’m not sleeping.” Peter whined, “Just resting my eyes.”  
  
Rhodey rolled his eyes, “Got it.”  
  
It didn’t take long for Peter to fall to sleep, safe in Rhodey’s arms. He was in and out of consciousness, he caught the tail end of conversations between Rhodey and voices he didn’t recognize but didn’t understand what they were talking about, he heard his dad's name a few times, but he was too sleepy to ask what was going on.   
  
“Pete,” Rhodey said gently, Peter blinked his eyes open and murmured into his shoulder, “Look who’s here.”  
  
Peter turned, his eyes widened as the sight of Tony and Pepper. Five men dressed in black suits surrounded them, the pair had orange blankets draped over their shoulders; Peter held out his arm, “Dad.” He yearned sleepily.  
  
“Peter,” Tony said under his breath as he rushed towards them; he took hold of his son, “Hey, bud.” He folded his arms around him as Peter relaxed in his arms.  
  
“Did you do it?” Peter muttered, “Did you stop him?”  
  
“Yeah, _yeah_ , I stopped him.” Tony looked over to Pepper, “Potts helped too.”  
  
Peter turned his head to look at Pepper, they both smiled at one another, “Cool.”  
  
Pepper walked forward and planted a kiss in Peter’s messy hair, “Hey, sweetheart.”  
  
“Hi Pepper.” Peter smiled, “Who are they?”  
  
“Agents.” Tony said, “They helped us out a little.”  
  
“Nice.” Peter turned his head back and nestled his face into Tony’s neck, “Dad?”  
  
“Yes, buddy?” Tony asked threading his fingers into Peter’s hair.  
  
Peter yawned,  “Can we go to bed now?”   
  
Tony snorted, “Yeah, we can go to bed now.” 


	25. Secret Identity

Peter hated press conferences, he had since he was a toddler. He couldn’t tell if it was the flashing cameras or the noisy journalists. Or both. He also knew that his dad hated them too.  
  
However, like every other kid his age, skipping school for a day was awesome. He didn’t even care that he was only missing it because of a conference, a conference where Tony had to fabricate a story about the fight between him and Obadiah at Stark Industries.   
  
“Isn’t lying bad?” Peter asked; he was sat on a couch in the corner of the lounge area, which was next door to the main conference hall; Pepper was applying a layer of concealer on Tony’s noticeable bruises.  
  
“Yes, of course lying is bad,” Tony said, he pointed over him and flapped his hand around, “And you should never lie, not to me, or Pepper. But this, this is different--” He noticed Peter’s forehead creased as he chuckled lightly, “And, um, Pepper?”  
  
She rolled her eyes before looking over to Peter, “Lying is a bad trait sweetheart but in this circumstance…” She trailed off, Tony bounced his eyebrows up and down, “But right now, the truth might be a little more...hectic.”  
  
“Basically kid, lying is bad, but we’re being told to do it.”   
  
“Okay…” Peter said, more confused than he was before asking the question. He sat up and leaned over to grab his juice from the coffee table; he noticed the newspaper sat down next to him, “Ooh, Iron Man.”   
  
“What, kiddo?” Tony asked.  
  
“Look.” Peter picked up the paper and skipped over, holding it up for Tony to see, “They called you _Iron Man_.”   
  
“Um.” Tony reached out and took hold of the paper, flipping it open, “Iron Man? That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it.”  
  
“It’s so cool.” Peter sang as he moved back to the couch, he glanced up to look at Rhodey talking on the television.  
  
“I mean, it's not technically accurate.” Tony said, “The suit's a gold-titanium alloy, but it's kind of evocative, the imagery, anyway.”  
  
“I like it.” Peter grinned, Tony nodded in agreement  
  
Agent Coulson stepped in, ruining the moment but Tony knew he couldn’t exactly call him out for that, “Here's your alibi.” He held out cue cards.  
  
Tony glanced at them trying his best not to make a joke about being back in high school, “Okay.” He took them and studied them quickly.  
  
“You were on your yacht.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“We have port papers that put you in Long Island all night and sworn statements from 50 of your guests,” Coulson explained.  
  
“See, I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper, Peter and me at home.” Tony started, “You know hanging out like everyday people, instead of all this....extravagance?”  
  
Pepper snorted as she moved away muttering under her breath about ‘extravagance’ being Tony’s middle name.   
  
“That's what happened,” Coulson said sternly.  
  
 “All right.”   
  
“Just read it, word for word,” Coulson ordered.   
  
Tony flicked through the cards, “There's nothing about Stane here.”   
  
“That's being handled. He's on vacation.”  
  
Peter looked up at the mention of Stane, who neither Tony or Pepper had properly mentioned since the fight. He knew he was gone, but he didn’t know what that truly meant. Peter listened on as Tony and Coulson argued about how Stane’s sudden disappearance would be handled.  
  
Tony stood up and moved over toward Peter as soon as Coulson left to talk to Pepper, “Hey kiddo.”  
  
“Hey, Dad.” Peter greeted quietly.  
  
Tony leaned his head into his shoulder, “What’s up?”  
  
Peter sighed warily, “He isn’t coming back, is he?”   
  
“Who? _Obi_?” Tony asked; Peter nodded, “No, _never_. He will never hurt us again, I promise.”  
  
“Thanks, Dad.”   
  
Tony smiled, “No problem, bud.”  
  
“Tony, come on,” Pepper called over, Tony winked at Peter before skipping over, he placed the cue cards in his mouth.  
  
“Let's get this show on the road.” He sang, he turned and Pepper helped him into his jacket, “You know, it's actually not that bad.  Even I don't think I'm Iron Man.”  
  
“You're not Iron Man.” She said tugging on the sleeves.  
  
“Am so.”  
  
“You're not.”  
  
“All right, suit yourself.” He took the cue cards out and turned to face her, “You know, if I were Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend who knew my true identity. She'd be a wreck, _'cause_ she'd always be worrying that I was going to die, yet so proud of the man I'd become.”  
  
Peter let out a high-pitched squeak, he clasped his hand over his mouth hoping neither of them heard.  
  
“She'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make her more crazy about me.”  
  
Peter couldn’t hold back a laugh, as soon as he broke, Pepper followed in a fit of giggles.   
  
Tony pointed over to Peter, “Young man, you should have no idea what I’m talking about.”  
  
“Tony, he’s eight, not dumb,” Pepper pointed out.  
  
“Alright alright, I’m not subtle.” Tony mumbled, “But yeah, tell you don’t think about that night?”  
  
“What night?” Pepper asking avoiding his gaze as she tucked in his pocket handkerchief.   
  
“You know.”  
  
She looked up at him, “Are you talking about the night that we danced and went up on the roof, and then you went downstairs to get me a drink, and you left me there, by myself?”  
  
Peter’s face fell into his open palms, as Tony shifted uncomfortably.  
  
“Is that the night you're talking about?” Pepper asked raising her eyebrows, Tony coughed his answer, “Thought so. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”  
  
Tony nodded dotting his eyes to the floor, “Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts.” He turned to exit the room, he gestured finger guns to Peter, “Bud…You’re grounded.”   
  
“Dad!” Peter whined as Tony skipped away into the conference hall; Peter shook his head as he chuckled, he turned his attention to the television on the wall.  
  
Pepper chuckled as she watched him bounce on the spot as Tony started reading off the cue cards, “Peter, this isn’t going to be entertaining. It’s boring.”  
  
“I know, but it’s like my comics.” Peter smiled, “Like you, Rhodey and I are the only ones who know Dad’s secret identity.”  
  
“Oh okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest as they watched on.  
  
“We’re his sidekicks,” Peter said, “He needs us.”  
  
“Most definitely,” Pepper added, almost too quickly.  
  
“ _I know that it's confusing_ ,” Tony said talking to someone in the audience, “ _It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero_.”  
  
Peter muttered, “You are a superhero,” under his breath, in unison with the journalist saying, “ _I never said you were a superhero_.”  
  
_“Didn't?”_ Tony uttered _, “Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic,”_ He dotted his eyes down to the paper as he let out a long exhale _, “I'm just not the hero type. Clearly.”_ He coughed, _“With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public.”_  
  
“What the hell is he doing?” Pepper asked, nervously.  
  
Rhodey leaned toward Tony and muttered something in his ear, Tony nodded in agreement before turning back to the audience.  
  
Tony looked down at the cards, “ _The truth is_ …” He moved his eyes towards the audience and stopped for a second.  
  
“No.” Pepper shook her head, “Don’t you dare Tony.”  
  
Peter, on the outside, was silent. Not wanting to add to the existential crisis Pepper was experiencing. On the inside, he was overjoyed, and ecstatic, knowing exactly was his dad was about to do.  
  
Tony looked directly into the camera.

“ _I am Iron Man_.”


	26. The Avenger Initiative (IM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far! You have reached the conclusion of Iron Man. 
> 
> This is very short, it's like an end credit scene for a fanfiction.

Telling the world he was Iron Man was not particularly an easy ride for Tony or those around him. His irrational decision led to a rather hectic afternoon, he had an earful from Pepper, Rhodey and the board of his own company, who were not impressed in the slightest.  
  
Tony had taken it all in his stride.  
  
Throughout the day whenever people were screaming at him, he took one look at his son to realise it was the right decision; Peter hadn’t stopped smiling since there was a permanent grin was stuck on his face all day. Even when people were shouting.   
  
“Ned is gonna be so happy,” Peter said as they stepped into the house, both clutching onto a cheeseburger, “Oh!” He exclaimed as he jumped into the air, “What if they make you a Happy Meal toy?”  
  
“You might implode.” Tony snorted as he turned and closed the door, “They probably will kiddo, I’ve already had Lego and Fisher Price asking me about Iron Man merchandise.”  
  
“Lego?!” Peter shouted he leaned into the wall as he slipped off his shoes and kept chanting Lego under his breath in pure excitement.  
  
“Breathe kiddo.” Tony chuckled, “Don’t get too overexcited about all of this.”  
  
“This is so exciting, Dad!”  
  
Tony flinched at his high-pitched screams, he rubbed his ears with the palm of his hands, “I can tell.” He pushed on his shoulder, “Come on, bedtime.”  
  
“Okay,” Peter said, as he skipped down the corridor towards the main stairs.  
  
Tony pulled back on Peter’s jacket instinctively when he noticed the lights in the living room and corridor hadn’t clicked on yet, “Jarvis!”  
  
“Welcome home, sir.” Jarvis’s voice distorted.  
  
Tony noticed a figure stood behind the couch looking out of the window; Tony grabbed Peter and pushed him behind him so that his son was hidden behind his leg, he kept his hand held out making sure Peter didn’t move.  
  
“ _I am Iron Man.”_ The figure said,  he turned on his heel, “You think you're the only superhero in the world?” He slowly started to walk over toward the light, “Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe.” He told him, “You just don't know it yet.”  
  
“Who the hell are you?” Tony demanded.  
  
The figure stepped into the light, revealing an unknown man dressed in mostly leather, his left eye was covered by an eyepatch, “Nick Fury, director of SHIELD.”  
  
Tony relaxed and moved his arm down but still kept Peter tucked behind his leg, he sighed and gestured for Nick to carry on, “Huh?”  
  
“I'm here to talk to you about the _Avenger Initiative_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	27. Opening Night (IM2)

**SIX MONTHS LATER** (May 2010)

The Stark Expo was nothing like Peter had expected, while Tony was planning it, Peter thought it sounded like a boring company conference. He had never expected the buzz of life, and cheers of fans waiting by the stage for _Iron Man_ ’s entrance. He had seen videos of past Stark Expo that his grandparents had run, and it was nothing like this one.   
  
Peter was stood in the wings of the main stage listening to the impatient crowds chanting Tony’s name. Peter giggled when he heard a few members of the audience shouting out his name. Happy had to keep pulling Peter away from the entrance way to the stage. The last thing Happy needed was Peter being seen too soon. It would start an _uproar_.  
  
Peter turned on the spot, “Hap, is it time yet?”  
  
Happy looked at his watch on his wrist, “Almost.” He patted Peter’s back, “You ready, kid?”  
  
“I think so!”  
  
A woman skipped over clutching a clipboard, “Mr. Hogan. The video is about to begin.” She gestured to the stage before darting away.   
  
Peter leapt into the air as he turned to look at the darkened stage; Happy placed his hands on his shoulders to make sure he didn’t run out prematurely, “I’m excited.” Peter buzzed.  
  
“Yeah.” Happy said; he was not feeling the same way.  
  
“I’m in the welcome video too!”   
  
“I know.”   
  
In a flash, red and gold lights beamed on the stage. The sudden change to the darkened stage led to an exceptional response from the audience, who somehow managed to get louder as they chanted for Tony. The screen at the back of the stage, which had been presenting the Stark Expo logo, flickered to black.  
  
‘ _Why don’t you tell them your name_?’ Tony’s pre-recorded voice echoed, that enough for the audience, they screeched and clapped.  
  
The video flickered onto the screen; it had been filmed in a photography studio, Peter was stood in front of a white background, dressed in a _Stark Expo_ t-shirt, jeans and a blue hoodie. The audience cooed at the sight of the youngest Stark as he jumped up before breaking into a fit of giggles.  
  
‘ _Peter, we’re gonna be here all day_.’ Tony’s voice chuckled from behind the camera.  
  
_‘What do I say?’_  
  
_‘Just tell them your name.’_  
  
The video cut to Peter as he jumped up, and landed in Iron Man’s signature pose with his hand held out, he looked directly into the camera, ‘ _I am Iron Man._ ’ He said in a dramatically deep voice as he mimicked his Father. The audience broke into fits of laughter at the sound of Peter’s comedic whims.  
  
‘ _Peter_!’ Tony ran into the shot and picked up Peter and threw him over his shoulder as they both laughed.   
  
The video cut again, to both Peter and Tony stood in the shot. Peter looked into the camera, attempting to hold back a laugh as he said, ‘ _I’m Peter Parker- Stark._ ’  
  
Tony leaned his elbow on Peter’s head, ‘ _And you know who I am_.’ He ruffled Peter’s hair, ‘ _Welcome to-_ ’ His bowed his face in his chest as he chuckled.  
  
‘ _Welcome to the Stark Expo_!’ Peter exclaimed as he leapt into the air.  
  
‘ _Attaboy_!’ Tony said, holding out his hand, Peter high-fived him.   
  
‘ _Look up_!’ Peter shouted as the video cut out and _Shoot The Trill_ started to play over the sound system.  
  
“That was so cool,” Peter said, turning back to Happy as a line of dancers dressed in Iron Man inspired costumes moved onto the stage.  
  
“Yeah,” Happy chuckled as he tapped Peter’s shoulder, “You’re gonna be a heartbreaker, kid.”   
  
“Is he ready?” The stagehand asked, “60 seconds.”  
  
“He just needs to put his mask on.” Happy bent down, pulling out an _Iron Man_ helmet that Tony had made especially for Peter.  
  
Happy tapped the helmet, activating the night light inside and the built-in ear defenders Tony had fitted ready for the Expo.  
  
Happy nudged Peter’s shoulder, “Knock them dead, kid.”  
  
“Okay!”  
  
A dancer bounced over to them, “Come on, darling!” She sang, with a thick Texan accent, “It’s your time to shine.”   
  
“Okay, Sandy.” Peter outstretched his hand, and she locked her fingers with his, they began to dance out towards the stage, Peter turned, “See you Happy!”   
  
Sandy kept Peter stuck close to her side as they hopped onto the stage; the dancers separated down the middle to let the pair skip down. At the sight of Peter, the crowd leapt into the air and thundered applause as they chorused his name.   
  
Peter looked up when he heard the familiar hum of the _Iron Man_ suit; Tony dropped through the hole in the roof and landed down on one knee, he stood up and held his arms out to greet the crowd. The part of the stage that he was stood on began to spin, metallic arms raised and started to tear away the suit to reveal Tony underneath.  
  
The suit materialised down underground as Tony stepped away dressed a black three-piece suit, very similar to the one Peter was wearing. He stepped towards the dancers; he brought his hands together in a clap. He hurried over, kneeling in front of Peter as the audience kept cheering.   
  
Sandy fell back into the routine as soon as Tony had his hand on Peter’s shoulder. He gently removed the mask to reveal his son’s beaming face underneath; he ruffled his hair, “Hey kiddo!” He exclaimed over the roaring stadium; another dancer skipped over holding a pair of red ear defenders, Tony took them, and handed her Peter’s helmet, “Thank you!”   
  
“No problem, Mr. Stark.” She sang as she returned to the dance.  
  
Tony locked Peter’s ear defenders over his ears before swiftly picking him up, and turning back to the audience. They both waved as the dancers finished and left the stage.   
  
“Oh,” Tony turned on his heel, “It’s good to be back.” He scanned the audience as Peter waved to people, “You missed me? I missed you too.”  
  
“Blow something up!” A man in the audience screamed, Peter chuckled under his breath.  
  
“Blow something up?” Tony asked, pointing over to the direction the man had yelled out his order, “I already did that.” He leaned closer to Peter,  “Wanna say hello, bud?”  
  
“Hello!” Peter said, waving to the audience, they all echoed back.  
  
“We all know you’re the true star of the show, Pete!” Tony chuckled before turning his attention to the crowd, “Hello...I’m not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me.” He waited for the reaction die down, he smiled as he watched Peter wave, “I’m not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. I’m not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven’t come across anyone who’s man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day!”

A woman shouted, “I love you, Tony!”   
  
Tony closed his eyes and shook his head, “Please, it’s not about me.” He turned to them, “It’s not about you.” He darted his eyes over to Peter, “It’s not even about _us._ ” The audience died down, giving Tony the chance to speak, “It’s about legacy. It’s about what we choose to leave behind for future generations.” He placed a kiss on Peter’s cheek; the stadium sighed their reaction.  
  
“And that’s why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future.” Tony held his free hand up to silence the crowd, “It’s not about _us_. Therefore, what I’m saying if I’m saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo.”  
  
“And we have a surprise for you!” Peter exclaimed over the audience, having waited patiently long to say his piece, Tony chuckled.  
  
“Yes, we do, don’t we bud?” Tony gestured back to the screen, “Making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it’s all about…”  
  
“Say hello to my grandfather, Howard!” Peter finished, the audience erupted in applause once more as the video started.  
  
Tony stepped back, heading towards the wings, “Well done,  bud.” He muttered into Peter’s ear as he placed him down.  
  
“That was scary.” Peter half-laughed, “But fun scary.”  
  
“Definitely.” Tony reached into his pocket and took out his _Blood Toxicity test; he_ made sure Peter was facing away, preoccupied by the video of Howard, to notice what he was doing. The machine presented a result of nineteen percent; Tony exhaled deeply before hiding it away, “Come on then kiddo, let’s go and find Potts.”


	28. Tony's Priority

After being held hostage for three months, Tony didn’t like leaving his son for an extended amount of time. He knew Peter also struggled when they were parted; the eight-year-old had the fear that he might lose his dad again. Peter needed constant reassurance that Tony was coming home, which included having to text and phone him every hour whenever they were apart for more than two days.  
  
Tony knew he was dying, and he didn’t even need _Jarvis_ to confirm it.  He was being killed by the only object that was keeping him alive. Every moment away from Peter was a second neither of them could ever get back. Tony’s time was running out.  
  
Dropping Peter off with his childminder before travelling to his Senate hearing in Washington was almost impossible. His son had clutched onto him, begging to go with them; Tony had to try his best not to cry too. For one, he didn’t want to worry Peter, and two, if he broke _too,_ people would start to realise something was wrong.   
  
Tony stepped into his public facade when he arrived at the Senate, but whenever there was a break in the argument, Tony checked in with Peter’s childminder, who was sending him photos of Peter and her baking cakes.   
  
“Potts,” He turned around when the council were discussing something among themselves; Pepper was sat behind Tony; he held up his phone to present a picture of Peter covered head to chin in flour; Pepper couldn’t help but smile at the sight, but it quickly faded when Senator Stern started hitting his desk to get Tony’s attention.   
  
“Tony, turn around.” She snipped as she gestured for Tony to turn.   
  
Tony rolled his eyes as he closed his phone; he kept his eyes on Pepper.  
  
“Mr Stark, could we pick up now where we left off?” Stern asked, “Mr Stark. Please.”  
  
Tony turned around and leaned into the mic, “Yes, dear?” The room erupted into light laughter.   
  
“Can I have your attention?”   
  
“Absolutely.”  
  
“Do you or do you not possess a specialised weapon?”  
  
“I do not.” Tony hummed, he narrowed his eyes as he gestured his hand out, “Well...it depends on how you define the word weapon.”  
  
“The Iron Man weapon.” Stern gestured.  
  
“My device does not fit that description,” Tony muttered as he dropped his comedic mask. He was serious when it came to what Iron Man stood for; it stood for the peace that he strived to create after what he saw conspire in Afghanistan.   
  
“Well… How would you describe it?”   
  
“I would describe it by defining it as what it is, Senator.”   
  
“As?”  
  
“It’s a umm,” He hesitated, “High-tech prosthesis.” The room laughed, “That is… That is… That’s actually the most apt description I can make of it.”  
  
“It’s a _weapon_.” Stern snapped, “It’s a weapon, Mr Stark.”  
  
“Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen…” Tony interrupted.  
  
“My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America!”   
  
“Well, you can forget it!” Tony exclaimed, “I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending or what state you’re in. You can’t have it.”  
  
Laughter echoed around the room once more; Stern leaned forward, “Look, I’m no expert…”  
  
“In prostitution?” Tony asked, a mischievous grin growing on his face, “Of course not. You’re a senator. Come on!” He slapped the desk with his hand and turned to face Pepper as he grinned, she shook her head to convey how let down she was by his childish behaviour; he frowned at her reaction realising she didn’t share his attitude to the case.  
  
“I’m no expert in weapons.” Stern cut in, “We have somebody here who is an expert on weapons. I’d now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor."  
  
Tony’s heart dropped in his chest, and his expression shifted to anger. He fists clenched, he slipped them down onto his lap. He couldn’t lose it, not in public and most _definitely_ not at the Senate. Fighting for his right to the Iron Man suits went to the back of his mind, and Peter took the forefront. It had only been six months since Justin Hammer had made unnecessary comments about Peter and Tony’s relationship, which had triggered Peter’s first anxiety attack; an experience Tony, Peter and Pepper never wanted to go through again.  
  
Tony turned to Pepper, who had sat up in her chair at the mention of Hammer, she gritted her teeth, trying to contain her anger. Pepper and Tony had wanted to keep the whole situation between the people closest to them, knowing a public outcry would only worry Peter more. However, after Pepper contacted Hammer Industries, Justin had decided to take the public route for his half-hearted apology. It meant everyone knew how tense the relationship between the industries was. It wasn’t business; it was _personal_.  
  
“Did you know about this?” Tony asked her  
  
“No, no.” Pepper shook her head, “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Do we have a problem here, Mr. Stark?” Stern asked.  
  
Tony glared up at him with narrow eyes; he bit down on his lip to stop himself from saying something he would regret. He shifted in his chair when Hammer walked into view. The laughter in the room died as the tension rise; for Tony, this was no longer a _joke_.   
  
“Mr. Stark? Do we have a problem?”  
  
Tony brought his hand to his chin, “I am just wondering if and when any actual expert will also be in attendance.” He said with venom laced in his tone.  
  
“Mr. Stark, I know there is tension between both your industries but if we could--”  
  
“It’s not between the industries Senator, and I’m quite sure you know that.” Tony snapped.  
  
“Anthony, _Anthony_ ,” Justin said calmly, “I thought we solved our...recent disagreement.”  
  
“Don’t call you discussing my son publicly against my wishes a disagreement.” Tony fumed as he dug his nails into his palms, trying his best not to lash out.  
  
“I’ve said sorry.” Justin pointed out, “That’s all I can do.”   
  
“Mr. Stark!” Stern called out, “Is this personal matter going to affect this hearing? Do we need to reschedule?”  
  
“No, no!” Tony waved his hand around; he couldn’t reschedule, it would lead to less time with Peter, and he needed that time, more than anything. “Let’s just this over and done with.”   
  



	29. Quietly Dying

When Peter stepped in from school, he was welcomed by a quiet house. He knew that Tony and Pepper were in the workshop, probably arguing about work-related issues, that were mainly caused by Tony’s strange and irrational behaviour. Peter was young, but even he knew his dad was acting out of character. Peter echoed a goodbye to his driver as he closed the door; he tossed his backpack down by the cabinet before skipping down the stairs.   
  
He scanned his hand at the bottom of the stairs and clicked the door open, “I’m home!”  
  
“Kiddo!” Tony bounced over from where Pepper and he were sat, “How was school?”  
  
“Okay.” Peter said; he looked over to Pepper, who was staring at the floor in a state of utter confusion, “Are you okay, Pepper?”  
  
“Um,” She looked up at him; she hadn’t even realised that Peter had stepped in,  “Oh hey sweetheart. Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.”   
  
“What’s going on?” Peter asked as he studied the pair; they were both blushing, and Tony was smiling from ear-to-ear, a nervous smile grew on Pepper’s face as she kept staring down at the ground. Peter narrowed his eyes “Are you--”  
  
“No.” Tony said, waving his hand, “Don’t finish that question, bud.” Pepper snorted as she looked up to them both, “I just made Pepper CEO of the company.”  
  
“Oh,” Peter’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “That’s, that’s cool.” He dotted his eyes down to his shoes as he clicked his heels together, “That’s _awesome_.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased at his son’s half-hearted reaction; he turned back to Pepper, who was staring at Peter in bemusement too, she dotted her eyes to Tony, who shrugged, “Peter, honey, what’s wrong?” Pepper asked, standing up and pacing over.   
  
“Nothing,” Peter mumbled not looking up.   
  
“Come on bud, you’re not reacting…..” Tony trailed off trying to imagine how he expected Peter to react to the news, he coughed into his closed fist and then gestured forward at him, “You’re not reacting like this is _good_ news.”  
  
Peter shrugged as he kept staring down at the ground; he hummed a string of inaudible words under his breath as the pair continued to stare at him. Tony didn’t need to hear him to know that Peter’s mumbles translated roughly to ‘ _Leave me alone, I’m fine_!’ Which, of course, was a lie.   
  
“Darling, come on, tell me what’s wrong?” Pepper asked, placing her glass down on the desk, “You can tell me anything, you know?”  
  
Peter looked up at her, “Just...like if you are CEO...will…” He let out a deep breath, “Will I like...Will I not see you anymore?”  
  
Pepper’s face softened at the innocence of his worry, she leaned forward to wrap her arm around his shoulders, “I might be here less than you are used too,” She explained, “But you’ll see me all the time, I’ll visit, and you can visit me. I won’t stop seeing you, sweetie. You’re part of my life, okay?”  
  
“Okay.” Peter smiled wrapping himself around her side; Pepper placed a kiss in his unruly hair as tears welled up in her eyes, “Well done. You are already the boss!”  
  
“I guess I am.” Pepper laughed as she twiddled her fingers around his hair, “You think I can do it?”  
  
“Yep!”  
  
Tony sighed as he watched the pair hug; he knew how close Pepper and Peter were, Pepper had helped raise Peter since he was a baby. She was the only mother-figure Peter had ever known;  Tony felt like he should have thought about that more before making Pepper CEO.   
   
“Okay, I need to make some calls,” Pepper said, tapping Peter’s back, “I’ll see you two in a minute.” She said as she skipped out of the room.  
  
“Sorry, bud.” Tony sighed after she disappeared from view, “I should have asked you first.”  
  
Peter shook his head, “I know Pepper will be the best boss.”   
  
“Yeah, she will.” Tony sat down in his desk chair, “You and Pepper are close though, I should have talked to you about it.”  
  
“You were probably just excited.” Peter skipped over and hoisted himself onto Tony’s lap; his Dad wrapped an arm around him as he playfully spun the chair around, “Do you not like being boss?”  
  
“No, it’s _boring_.” Tony sneered, “I like being your dad, and Iron Man, that’s it really. Potts is better for the job I think, more level-headed.”  
  
“Does this mean you’re getting a new assistant?”   
  
“Probably.” He remarked, “That’s a little bit exciting, right?”  
  
“Yeah…” Peter smiled, “Stop it now. I’m getting dizzy.”   
  
Tony brought the chair to a standstill; he leaned his chin on Peter’s head. Tony wanted to freeze time at that moment. He wanted to watch his son grow up into the man he knew he would be, a man greater then he had been. Peter was going to change the _world_ ; he didn’t know how, but Tony knew that for definite.   
  
It was just difficult to know that he wouldn’t be there to see it happen.  
  
One day, Peter would wake up and not remember Tony’s voice, and it wouldn’t be a big deal because it would have been years since he heard it. Peter was _only_ eight, and although he was incredibly intelligent, he didn’t have an eidetic memory. One day, _years down the line_ , Tony would only be remembered as distant childhood memories in his son’s head, and that, broke him, in ways he never knew he could break.  
  
Tony wasn’t scared of dying, well at least he didn’t think he was. He was terrified of leaving Peter behind; the boy had already lost his entire birth family. He was _the last Parker,_ and that legacy was already heavy to bear. And after Tony was gone, Peter would be _the last Stark too._  
  
Peter leaned back into his Dad’s arms, “Are you okay, Dad?”   
  
“Yeah, bud.” He lied as he wrapped both arms tightly around his son, “I’m absolutely _fine_.” 


	30. Natalie Rushman

Peter watched curiously as Tony and Happy trained in the boxing ring that Tony had assembled in the gym. Peter was at a table finishing off his homework as the pair practised; most of the time, they were arguing over what they could and couldn’t do while in the ring. Peter kept holding back laughter, cupping his hand over his mouth, but he couldn’t help when a chuckle escaped.  
  
“Pete, either your homework is hilarious…” Tony commented, pointing over, “Or you’re finished.”  
  
“I’m nearly done.”   
  
“Okay kiddo, round it up, and then you can join us in the ring.” Tony laughed, bouncing back into formation.  
  
“The notary’s here!” Pepper exclaimed as she walked in the room, “Can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?  
  
“I’m on Happy time.” Tony told her as he swung a punch at Happy, “Let Peter do it.”  
  
Pepper rolled her eyes before looking over to Peter, who was once again cupping a hand over his mouth trying to suppress his laughter, “Peter can’t sign over the company, he’s eight.”  
  
“It’s his company too... _kinda_.” Tony turned and elbowed Happy in the face; he gritted his teeth and tilted his head, “Sorry.”   
  
“What the hell was that?” Happy asked gesturing to his face.  
  
“It’s called mixed martial arts.” Tony fabricated, “It’s been around for three weeks.”  
  
“It’s called dirty boxing,” Happy snapped, “There’s nothing new about it.”  
  
“All right, put them up.” Tony encouraged, “Come on.”  
  
Peter looked up to watch the altercation between Tony and Happy, but he locked onto a woman who appeared from the corridor. He had never seen her before, and he guessed that she was the notary Pepper had mentioned. At first glimpse, Peter thought she looked like the real-life Ariel from _The Little Mermaid_ , she stopped on the spot and dotted her eyes around the room. Peter smiled warmly before getting up and skipping over to listen to what was happening.  
  
The notary walked over to Pepper, “I promise this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company!”  Pepper called over to Tony.  
  
“I need you to initial each box.” The notary told her.  
  
“What does this mean?” Pepper asked, pointing down to the form.  
  
The notary looked down at the part Pepper was gesturing too, “That’s just so we know that you understand that when Peter Parker-Stark reaches the age of twenty-one, he will gain jurisdiction over the company, and in reason that could affect your job as CEO.”   
  
“Wow!” Peter exclaimed, both Pepper and the notary chuckled, “Don’t worry Pepper, I won’t fire you.”  
  
Pepper giggled as she sighed, “I’d hope not, sweetheart.”   
  
“Hey!” Tony called over, all three of them turned to look at him; he gestured to the notary, “What’s your name, lady?”  
  
“Rushman. Natalie Rushman.” She answered.   
  
Tony gestured into the ring, “Front and centre. Come into the church.”  
  
“Dad!” Peter groaned as he rolled his eyes, he shot Natalie an apologetic look.  
“  
“No.” Pepper snapped, “You’re seriously not gonna ask…”  
  
“If it pleases the court, which it does…” Tony said in his defence.  
  
“It’s no problem.” Natalie started to walk toward the ring; Peter slipped away to finish his work; he was against watching his father embarrass himself.

“I’m sorry.” Pepper sighed gently to Natalie as the woman skipped over to the ring, “He’s very eccentric.”  
  
Peter started scribbling down answers to his math homework as the conversations around him merged into one. He peered up to see that Tony was sat next to Pepper while Natalie had been left in the ring with Happy.   
  
“How do I spell your name, Natalie?” Tony asked.  
  
“R-U-S-H-M-A-N.”  
  
_Natalie Rushman,_ Peter thought her name sounded like a superhero alias in one of his comic books. She reminded him of _Kim Possible_ who had been one of his favourite heroines growing up alongside _Leia_ from _Star Wars._ He watched as Natalie circled the ring, rolling her eyes at whatever Happy was saying. She turned away from Happy to look over at both Pepper and Tony.  
  
“Rule number one, never take your eyes off your opponent.” Happy began; he went for a swing. Natalie grabbed his hand, and leapt over in one swing, she wrapped her legs around his neck and pinned him down to the ground.  
  
“Woah!” Peter exclaimed utterly surprised by her actions  
  
“Oh, my God!” Pepper shouted, she charged over, “Happy.”  
  
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Tony clapped as he slid over to the ring.  
  
“I just slipped.” Happy sighed.  
  
Tony squinted as he caught Happy in a blatant lie, “You did?”  
  
“Yeah.” Happy said, getting up from the floor.   
  
“Looks like a TKO to me!” Tony exclaimed as he rang the bell; Natalie grabbed the folder as she stepped out of the ring.   
  
Peter stood up and charged around the ring; he crashed into the side of Tony’s leg; his Father chuckled as he placed a hand on his back. Pepper was stood next to Tony and Natalie was in front of them. Natalie took hold of the folder from Tony and closed it.  
  
“Will that be all Mr. Stark?” Natalie asked.   
  
Tony muttered a soft ‘no’, but he was overpowered by Pepper, “Yes, that will be all, Ms Rushman. Thank you very much.”  
  
Natalie stepped away, “Can I ask you something?” Peter asked; both Tony and Pepper looked down at him, their foreheads creasing.  
  
“Sure.” Natalie smiled, crossing her arms over the folder.   
  
“Do you like Star Wars?” Peter asked. Whenever he met someone new, one of the first things he would ask them was whether they liked _Star Wars_ or not. Tony had called it Peter’s _personality test_ , as the kid would judge people on their answers.   
  
“Yes, I do. _A New Hope_ is my favourite.” She grinned as she walked away.  
  
Peter gasped as he nudged Tony’s side a new times, “Her favourite is my favourite.” Tony chuckled while tapping Peter’s back.  
  
Tony turned to Pepper when Natalie was gone, “I want one.”   
  
“No.” Pepper shook her head.  
  
“She’s a brilliant applicant for my new assistant.” Tony pointed out, “She even passed Peter’s test.”  
  
“You’re not hiring her just because she’s watched Star Wars.”  
  
Peter let out a long groan in disappointment, “Why not?” 


	31. Protector

The Stark car pulled up outside the _Hotel De Paris_ in Monaco, the buzz of the crowds from the _Grand Prix De Monaco_ echoed nearby. Peter leaned over to the door; he squinted to try his best to make out the sights through the blacked out windows, “Do you think we’re going to win?” He asked, turning back to Tony.  
  
Tony snorted a laugh, “Kiddo, you really don’t have to pretend to enjoy racing. I know you hate it.”  
  
Peter let out a sigh in relief, “Thanks.”   
  
“Come on, let’s get it.” Tony leaned over and clicked the door open; Peter hopped out, the crowd cheered him, Peter turned and waved at them. Tony jumped out and held up the peace sign before bending down to usher Peter up the stairs, “Up we go.”   
  
“Wait for Pepper and Happy,” Peter said, stopping on the third step; Tony nodded in agreement; Pepper and Happy joined them.   
  
“Thanks, darling.” Pepper smiled as they entered the lobby; they were directed around a corner.   
  
Tony turned to Pepper, as he gestured to the room, “You know, it’s Europe.” He said,  “Whatever happens, the next 20 minutes, just go with it.”   
  
Pepper exhaled knowingly before turning to on her heel to look at Tony, “Go with it?” She asked, “Go with what?”  
  
“Mr. Stark.” The familiar voice of Natalie Rushman said, answering Pepper’s question for her. Peter smiled gladly. Natalie had passed his Star Wars personality test, so he was happy for her to be Tony’s new assistant.   
  
“Hey.” Tony greeted as he took off his sunglasses and clipped them to his pocket.  
  
“Hello.” Natalie smiled, “How was your flight?”  
  
A server came over and held out a tray, “It was excellent.” Tony said as he took a drink, “Boy, it’s nice to see you.”  
  
“We have one photographer from the ACM,” Natalie said, gesturing back, “If you don’t mind.” She reached forward and took the drinks away from Tony and Pepper, “Okay?”  
  
“Come on, bud.” Tony wrapped one arm around Peter’s back and the other around Pepper’s as the photographer started to take photos.  
  
“When did this happen?” Pepper asked Tony through gritted teeth as she attempted to fake a smile for the press.  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes, “What? You made me do it.”   
  
“I made you do what?”  
  
“You quit.” Tony said, he gestured to the camera, “Look, right there. Stop acting constipated. Don’t flare your nostrils.”  
  
“You are so predictable.” Pepper said before turning to look at him as the cameraman stepped away, “That’s the amazing thing.”  
  
Natalie held her arm out, “Right this way.”   
  
Tony locked hands with Peter, and followed behind Natalie, “You look fantastic.” Peter rolled his eyes before dotting his eyes up to watch the pair.  
  
“Why thank you very much.” Natalie smiled.  
  
“But that’s unprofessional.” Tony said honestly, “What’s on the docket?”  
  
“You have a 9:30 dinner.”  
  
“Perfect.” Tony said, “We’ll be there at 11:00.”   
  
Peter drowned out the sound of their voices as he lost himself in a daydream, he dotted his eyes around the bar. He recognised a few faces from past conventions and benefits; he smiled whenever he met eyes with someone. Peter clung onto Tony’s side as they travelled around the room, trailing behind Natalie.   
  
“Bud.” Tony nudged Peter’s shoulder, “Sorry, he’s daydreaming.”  
  
Peter looked up to see Elon Musk standing up in front of them, “Um sorry, hey Elon.”  
  
“Hello, Peter.” Elon hummed before sitting back down.   
  
Peter ignored Tony and Pepper’s petty argument about Natalie as they trailed over towards the bar, he rolled his eyes whenever he caught a second of the conversation. Peter was torn away from his joyful daydream when his eyes locked onto Justin Hammer, who was a few feet to the side of him. Peter quickly yanked on Tony’s arm as he hid behind the safety of his leg.  
  
Tony was knelt by his side within a second, knowing before he even turned around that Peter was scared. “Bud?” He gently moved Peter’s chin until his son was looking into his eyes; he threaded his fingers through his hair, “It’s just you and me.” He said reassuringly, “What’s wrong?”  
  
Pepper placed her hand flat against Tony’s back, “It’s Hammer,” She whispered warily, not wanting to see Peter go through another anxiety attack. It was sickening to both Pepper and Tony, that Peter, an eight-year-old boy, was still haunted by the experience. Haunted by what Justin Hammer had said about him.   
  
Tony exhaled sharply, “Okay, bud, I have an idea.” He stood up keeping Peter shielded behind his leg, “Natalie!”   
  
Natalie rushed over, “Yes, Mr. Stark.”  
  
“Could you please take Peter?” Tony asked, “I have to keep him away from--” He darted his eyes over to Hammer, who had noticed them and was waiting for his moment to _prance_.   
  
“Of course, sir, I completely understand.” Natalie held out her hand towards Peter.  
  
“Go on bud, I’ll catch up with you later,” Tony told him, his own voice shaking; he didn’t want to send Peter away, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape a conversation with Hammer.  
  
“Okay.” Peter reached forward and grabbed hold of Natalie’s hand; she gently guided him away from the bar towards the tables in the corner.   
  
Natalie lay a hand on Peter’s back and guided him in a seat in the corner, “Hey?” She leaned her arm on the table and made sure she was blocking the view of the bar, “He won’t come close to you, okay?”  
  
“You know what he said…”  
  
“Yeah,” She nodded, she snapped her head back to glare at Justin, who was now sat with Tony at a table, “I know what he said.”   
  
“I hate him,” Peter mumbled under his breath.  
  
“Don’t worry, Mr. Parker-Stark,” She said, turning back, “I do too.”   
  
Peter’s nervousness fell away as he settled into the conversation with Natalie, “Peter.”   
  
Natalie’s forehead creased, “Pardon?”  
  
“You can call me Peter,” He uttered, “If you like.”  
  
“Okay Peter,” She smiled, “You can call me _Nat_.” 


	32. Rubik's Cube

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title inspired by 'Rubik's Cube' by Athlete.

Natalie had left Peter in the corner of the room, when she went to find Tony to tell him his table was ready. Peter was passing away the time with a Rubik’s cube that Elon Musk had handed him. He had almost completed the blue and red sides when Natalie got back, “Your dad has just gone to the toilet.”  
  
“Oh, okay, thank you.” Peter twisted the cube; he dotted his eyes up when he noticed that Natalie was awkwardly standing by the table. It dawned on him that she was her father’s new assistant, and she wasn’t used to the role, “Nat, if you wanna, you can sit down.”  
  
She looked over at him with a half-smile, “I think I will,” She pulled out a chair, and sat down beside him.  
  
Peter held out the Rubik’s cube, “Do you wanna have a go?” He asked, tossing the cube up and down in his hand.  
  
“Sure.” She took it off him, and started moved it around; Peter’s eyes widened when she began to solve the puzzle at inhuman speeds, not even stopping for a second to look at what she was doing. Peter was surprised there wasn’t smoke billowing from the plastic; she placed the completed puzzle down in front of him.  
  
“Wow.” He said, picking it up, “That was….cool.”  
  
“Beginners luck.” Natalie joked as she shrugged her shoulders.  
  
Peter went to answer, but his sentence died in his mouth when he saw Tony bouncing over the table wearing his signature mischievous grin; he had trouble glistening his eyes. “Hey, Dad,” Peter smiled, though his voice was wary of Tony’s behaviour.  
  
“Hey, kiddo.” Tony squeezed past Natalie’s chair; he placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, for a second, his giddiness faded, “How are you doing?”   
  
“I’m good,” Peter said, tossing the cube from hand to hand.  
  
Tony’s eyebrows raised, “Did you finish that?”  
  
“No,” Peter trailed off, “Nat did.”

“Nat?” Tony followed Peter’s gaze to Natalie, “Oh.” He gestured to her, “Rushman, would you mind watching Pete for a little longer? There’s something I need to do quickly.”  
  
“Of course, Mr. Stark.”   
  
Peter’s eyebrows knitted together, “Where are you going?”  
  
Tony looked at him, his goofy grin forming once more, “You’ll see.” He tapped Peter’s head, “See you in a bit,” He darted away before Peter could ask any more questions. 

* * *

Pepper sat down with Peter a few minutes after Tony ran off; Natalie had gone to the bar to collect lunch for Peter before the race started. Peter knew that Pepper was on edge because of Tony’s behaviour, so he decided not to mention his Dad. Instead, he asked Pepper questions about what she planned to do now that she was CEO for the industry. He didn’t understand most of what she was saying, he nodded along and listened, knowing it was all she wanted to talk about.   
  
Pepper cut herself off mid-sentence when she spotted the television hung on the wall nearby. Peter looked up at the screen, and his face fell in disappointment; Tony was on the racetrack dressed in the blue and black race suit, Peter groaned, “Oh Dad.”    
  
“Natalie.” Pepper turned to the bar, “Natalie!”   
  
Natalie rushed over, “Yes, Ms Potts?”  
  
“What do you know about this?” Pepper asked; Natalie peered up to the screen.  
  
“This is the first that I have known of it.”  
  
Pepper sighed as panic settled on her shoulders, “This, _this_ cannot happen,” She turned to Peter, who was stood looking out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of his dad.  
  
“Absolutely.” Natalie agreed, “I understand. How can I help you?”  
  
“Where’s Happy?” Pepper asked, on the edge of her seat as she watched Tony clamber into the car.  
  
“He’s waiting outside.”   
  
“Okay, get him,” Pepper stuttered, “I _need_ Happy.”  
  
“Right away,” Natalie said, rushing through the crowd that was beginning to surround the televisions.  
  
Pepper turned around, “Peter,” She held out her hand, “Come here, sweetie.” Peter reluctantly turned around, allowing Pepper to move him back to his seat, “Don’t worry, he’ll be all right.”   
  
Peter eyes locked onto the television as the race started, his dad took an early lead as he weaved around the other cars, “He’s an idiot.”   
  
“Yeah,” She exhaled in agreement, “Tell him that later.”  
  
Peter’s heart sank when the camera cut from the cars to an empty section of the track; a man dressed in orange overalls sauntered onto the road, “Pepper.”  
  
“What?” Her jaw dropped when she saw the commotion, “Oh my God.”  
  
The man tore his jumpsuit open, revealing arc reactor technology hidden underneath; the upper half of his outfit burnt away to ash as he took out two metallic shining whips, clearly powered by his arc reactor.   
  
“Pepper,” Peter blurted, “What’s happening?”  
  
“Um,” She bit her lip and looked up to see Happy stood in the entranceway holding the _Mark 5_ suitcase, “Honey stay here, okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Peter said unsurely, tears brimming in his eyes; Pepper kissed his cheek before charging away. He watched until she was out of view before he scrambled out of his chair and rushed to the glass doors to look out for Tony, “Come on, Dad.”  
  
“Peter!” Natalie called softly, “Come here.”   
  
Peter didn’t move; he kept his eyes fixed on the racetrack, desperately needing to see Tony’s car drive by. Natalie gently looped her hands underneath his arms and lifted him away from the window; she stepped over to the corner of the room; she knelt as she placed him down.   
  
“Don’t look.” She cupped her hand over his eyes to make sure he didn’t catch a glimpse of what was happening on the televisions around them.   
  
Peter jolted when the sound of a crash echoed from outside, amplified by the countless television screen broadcasting it through the bar, he cried, “What’s going on?”  
  
“It’s okay.”   
  
Peter fell into her side as he choked out a sob; Natalie kept one hand pressed over his eyes as she hesitantly pulled him in closer with her other arm, “Nat--”  
  
“Don’t worry; it will be over soon.” 


	33. Reckless But Honest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title inspired by the song 'Anger' by Sleeping At Last.

Peter learnt quickly that Natalie didn’t take prisoners. Whatever she said or wanted, was final. No one could say ‘ _no_ ’ to her, and Peter did not want to see what happened if someone dared try. He was glad that he had her fighting in his corner.   
  
As the battle on the racetrack processed, the hotel had grown louder and louder with reactions of guests as they watched the drama unfold. Peter’s whimpers were drowned out, and no one seemed to notice the toil the fight was taking on him. They were just interested in seeing _Iron Man_ taking on a bad guy, not even stopping to think about the man behind the mask or his son.   
  
The only person who cared was Natalie.   
  
She never raised her voice, but somehow she was able to leave the incompetent staff trembling with fear before they took her and Peter into a separate empty room, away from chaos.   
  
“Should we sit down?” Natalie asked.  
  
Peter shook his head; he was clinging onto her side, terrified to let go.   
  
“Okay.”  
  
Peter jolted and cowered behind Natalie when a muffed argument began outside the door. He stepped back when he heard Tony and Pepper’s familiar voices, both demanding the useless staff for information.  
  
Natalie stepped forward, heading towards the door, Peter allowed himself to separate from her grasp, but part of him didn’t want to let them in.   
  
He didn’t want to see Tony.  
  
The whole ordeal had knocked it out of him at full force, knowing his dad was in danger, and it was Tony’s fault. Tony had chosen to race, without telling anyone, or without the proper experience, even at eight years old, Peter knew that was stupid.   
  
Anger settled in his stomach, and an invisible weight dropped onto his small shoulders, dragging him down. He was paralysed to the spot in a state of utter fury. He tried to yell out to Natalie, and tell her not to open the door, to not let them in, but his words died in his throat as it cracked.   
  
Natalie pulled the door open and called over to the duo; Peter couldn’t hear a word they were saying, it was like white noise, all he could hear was his heart thumping in his chest.   
  
He couldn’t hear them, but he could see them through glazed eyes. Pepper hurried in first, followed by Tony.  
  
Peter’s senses blended into one, and he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He could see Tony heading towards him, but before his dad could take one more step, Peter legged it past him, out of the room, into the empty corridor of the hotel.   
  
He thought he was fast on his feet, but before he knew it, strong hands caught him mid-run and turned him around. It was Tony. His dad knelt down and gently held Peter’s arms, he was talking, but Peter didn’t want to listen.   
  
“No!” Peter screamed, he tried to free himself, but his dad had the upper hand and was able to keep a hold on his arms. Peter balled his hands into fists and thumped Tony’s shoulder a few times before Tony was able to hold him back again, “Get off me!” Peter yanked one hand away, and hit Tony in the jaw, “Go away!”  
  
“Stop, Pete, stop.” Tony stuttered as he gently took hold of Peter’s wrists, his son kept trying to pull back, “Bud, just look at me, stop.”  
  
“You _don’t_ care!” Peter yelled as he swung his leg forward, kicking Tony’s shin.   
  
“Pete…”  
  
“Why did you do it?!” He exploded, “Why did you go out there?! It’s not fair! I don’t--”  
  
Tony pulled Peter into his arms and locked his arms around his back, “I’m sorry, I’m _sorry_.”  
  
The rage shifted off Peter’s shoulders and melted away into fear, he slumped into Tony’s arms, allowing his head to nestle on his shoulder, “I don’t want you to die.” He cried breathlessly as he clung onto his dad.  
  
“I’m sorry, bud.” He comforted as he lifted himself off the floor, keeping Peter held safely in his arms, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”  
  
Peter locked his legs around Tony’s torso, “You’re so stupid.”   
  
“I know, I know,” Tony tightened his grip around him, “I’m so sorry.”  
  
“Why’d you do it?” Peter yelled, desperate to understand his dad, “Why--”   
  
“I don’t know, bud.” He lied, he knew precisely why he had chosen to take the risk. It was selfish, but he wanted to have fun, knowing he was going to die, he wanted to try everything life threw at him.  
  
“Please..” Peter hiccuped, “Please don’t do it again.”   
  
“I won’t.” Tony threaded his fingers with Peter’s hair before turning around and heading back to the room, “I won’t, I will never do anything like that, ever again.”  
  
“You promise?”   
  
“I promise,” Tony said, nuzzling his face into Peter’s hair.  
  
Peter leaned back in his arms to look him in the eye; his throat cracked, “To the moon and back?”  
  
Tony’s heart plummeted in his chest, knowing that he couldn’t honestly promise Peter, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on Peter’s forehead, “Yeah.”   
  
Peter lay his face in his shoulder once more, “Good.” He mumbled as he settled in his hold. 

* * *

Every path, every decision, everything Tony did lead back to Peter. He didn’t realise it sooner; he didn’t want too. He was reckless, doing things he’d never done before, trying to complete a mess of a bucket list. He knew all the time he had left should be about Peter, but admitting that scared him because he had to accept that fact that he was going to die.   
  
_He had to accept that he was leaving his son behind._


	34. The Ride Home

Tony could not shift the guilt of his shoulders, no matter how hard he tried to forget about it, the heavier the burden became. He hid away in the kitchen on his jet; he had to avoid the angry glances from Peter and Pepper. When Peter had screamed and fought against Tony, Tony had never felt pain like it. Peter hardly ever got angry, and when he did, it was usually about something children his age did, like homework and bedtime. Not about his father’s reckless, almost suicidal, behaviour.   
  
Tony had promised Peter at that moment that he would be careful, and wouldn’t make any more irrational decisions.   
  
Which is why, when Tony decided he needed to visit and talk to Ivan Vanko, the man who attacked him on the racetrack, about his arc reactor technology, Peter had been less than impressed. However, this time, Peter didn’t voice his anger; he just silently let go of Tony’s hand and scampered away to Pepper’s side, glaring down at the ground in obvious disappointment.   
  
“Don’t be stupid,” Tony muttered to him as he paced around the kitchen; he had been preparing dinner for both Pepper and Peter, hoping he could win their forgiveness with food. He had made Peter’s favourite sandwich, and he’d cooked Pepper an omelette. “God.” He picked up both plates and stepped out into the main body of the plane.  
  
Pepper was sat watching the news, the Senate from Tony’s hearing was on screen, talking nonsense about Iron Man being a danger to the public. Peter was sat on the other side of the plane, with his back turned to Tony; he had his headphones on, and he was watching _Spongebob_ on his tablet.   
  
Tony listened to the Senate for a few seconds before stepping into the room, “Mute.” The television muted itself.   
  
Tony walked over, placing one plate down on the table in front of Peter, and the other down in front of Pepper. Peter didn’t seem to notice or care that his dinner had been placed in front of him. Tony let out a deep exhale before heading back over; he gently pulled the headphones off Peter’s head.  
  
 “Dad!” Peter whined.  
  
Tony held up the headphones, “Eat your dinner or I'll donate all your Lego Sets to a local kindergarten.”  
  
Peter tried to hold back a chuckle, “Okay.”  
  
Tony reached down and took hold of the tablet, he paused the show, and locked the device; he placed both items down in the chair opposite Peter, before sitting down opposite Pepper.   
  
Pepper gestured to the plate in front of her, “What is that?”  
  
Tony reached forward and pulled the lid off the top of the plate to reveal his proudly made omelette, “This is your in-flight meal.”  
  
Pepper gestured back to the kitchen, “Did you just make that?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony said, “Where do you think I’ve been for three hours?”  
  
Pepper leaned forward in her chair; she dotted her eyes over to Peter, who was quietly eating his dinner. “Tony,” She looked back over to him, “What are you not telling me?”  
  
“I don’t want to go home.” Tony admitted, “At all. Let’s cancel my birthday party and…” He pointed one arm at Pepper, and the other at Peter, “We’re in Europe. Let’s go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?”  
  
“Oh, yes.” Pepper sighed, “So, Peter is just going to skip school?”  
  
“I can like...homeschool him, you know?” Tony shrugged, “Right, bud?” Peter grunted back an inaudible answer; Tony turned to him, “Hey, _Alvin and the Chipmunks_ , you can’t pull off this whole silent treatment thing. I can’t tell if you’re angry at me, or just constipated.”  
  
“Angry.” Peter hummed as he took a bite out of his sandwich.  
  
“Okay _angry,_ do me a favour and look at me a sec?”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes before looking over at his dad, “What?”  
  
“Look bud, I’m sorry.” Tony said, “I’m sorry that I went to talk to Vanko in the jail, but I had too, I wasn’t in danger there, I was safe. I just had to work out how he had an arc reactor.”  
  
“Doesn’t have to be your job.” Peter pointed out; Tony nodded in agreement.  
  
“I know.” Tony admitted, “But, it’s my tech, so I needed to know.”  
  
“Okay….” Peter trailed off, “I get it.”   
  
“Good.” Tony hummed, “So what do you think kid, Venice?”  
  
“I really don’t think this is the right time,” Pepper cut in, “We’re in kind of a mess.”  
  
“Yeah, but maybe that’s why it’s the best time.” Tony counterargued, “Cause then we can…”  
  
Pepper leaned forward, “Well, I think as the CEO, I need to show up.”  
  
“As CEO, you are entitled to a leave.”  
  
“A leave?” Pepper questioned, her forehead creasing.  
  
Tony nodded, “A company retreat.”  
  
“A retreat? During a time like this?” Pepper gestured over to the television.   
  
“Just a ride. Like Peter says, maybe this doesn’t have to be my job to fix.” Tony said, “Well, I’m just saying, we can recharge our batteries and figure it all out.”  
  
Pepper shook her head, and let out a deep sigh, “Not everybody runs on batteries, Tony.”  
  
“I know,” Tony sighed hesitantly, “But the party….I think we should cancel it.”   
  
“Tony…”  
  
“Do it.” Peter cut in, “Parties are stupid anyways.”  
  
“What about just a mini party?” Tony asked, “Just us.”  
  
“Just us, Uncle Rhodey and Nat,” Peter added.  
  
Tony turned to Pepper, he bounced his eyebrows up and down, as she shook her head in disappointment, “Peter, you like Natalie, right?”   
  
“Yeah!” Peter exclaimed outstretching his arms, “She’s so cool and so awesome! She finished my Rubix cube is like ten seconds!”   
  
Tony placed a hand on his chest and let out an extended gasp in fake shock, “Ten seconds?!” He gasped, “Yes...that is really cool.”   
  
Peter jumped up in his chair, “I know right!”   
  
Tony looked back over to Pepper, wearing his signature mischievous grin, he mouthed Peter’s exuberant, ‘I know right!’  
  
‘I hate you,’ She mouthed; Tony chuckled into his chest as Pepper rolled her eyes.


	35. Muted

On the evening of his fortieth birthday, Tony hid away in his workshop reading up about Ivan Vanko. Peter was upstairs in his room planning party games for them all to play; Pepper and Natalie were in the living room, defending Tony’s actions in Monaco. Tony knew that living four decades was meant to feel like a milestone, but to him, it was a dead end. The end of the line, this was it for him. Forty years.  
  
“ _Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963_.” Jarvis projected pictures up in front of Tony, “ _However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist_.”   
  
Tony darted his eyes down; he closed his eyes for a second when the cyan lights from the projection overwhelmed his head. He swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat, and he sighed out in pain, “Damn it,” He muttered inability.  
  
“ _Sir, it has come to my attention that_ \--” Jarvis started.   
  
“Mute,” Tony ordered.  
  
He heard the door behind them click open; he held his breath in fear. He prayed, to whatever he believed in, that it wasn’t Peter or Pepper. He sighed out in relief when Rhodey started to talk, “Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now.”  
  
Rhodey pulled the door shut; Tony jolted at the sound.   
  
“Listen,” Rhodey said softly, though sternly. “I’ve been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking these.” He gestured over to where the suits were displayed, “They’re gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They’re sick of the games.”  
  
Tony remained silent; he didn’t even look up at his friend.   
  
Rhodey sighed out, “Tones if that doesn’t scare you, listen to this, and I’m sorry.” He walked over, “If you keep going this, they won’t just come for your suits. They could….Tony, they could take Peter away from you.”  
  
“No,” Tony said weakly, “They can’t.”  
  
“They can.” Rhodey said gently, “And I know that is terrifying, but it needs saying. You're reckless, just like you were before Peter…”  
  
“I was nothing before Peter,” Tony admitted, Rhodey stopped in his tracks at his words, Tony wasn’t one who opened up so freely.   
  
“Tony?” Rhodey placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder, his friend flinched. Worry settled in Rhodey’s chest, “Are you okay?”  
  
Tony smiled, half-heartedly, he tapped Rhodey’s hand, “Let’s go.” He slid onto the other side of the car and opened the door. As soon as he stepped out his knees buckled, and he held on for support.  
  
“Hey man,” Rhodey rushed over, holding him up, “Hey, hey! You all right?”  
  
“Yeah,” Tony said unsurely, he pointed over, “I should get to my desk.” Rhodey placed an arm around his shoulder and gently guided him over; he helped him down onto into his desk chair, “See that cigar box?”  
  
“Yeah.” Rhodey picked it up, and opened it; he studied the contents in confusion.  
  
“It’s palladium.” Tony put his hand up under his shirt and clicked out his arc reactor; he held it out in his hand, a small card popped out - burnt and smoking.  
  
“Is that supposed to be smoking?” Rhodey asked as he took out a new one from the cigar box.  
  
“If you must know, it’s neutron damage.” Tony explained handing over his arc reactor, “It’s from the reactor wall.”  
  
“You had this in your body?” Rhodey said concerned as he took out the old card, he inserted a new one, “And how about the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?”  
  
“Road rash,” Tony said jokingly, he took the arc reactor back, “Thank you.” He placed it back in his chest and sighed in instant relief; he downed a mouthful of suspicious-looking green liquid from his water bottle. He turned to see Rhodey watching him, “What are you looking at?”  
  
“I’m looking at you.” Rhodey told him, “You wanna do this whole lone gunslinger act, and it’s unnecessary. You don’t have to do this alone.  
  
“You know, I wish I could believe that.” Tony sighed, “I really do. But you’ve gotta trust me. Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I’m doing.”  
  
Rhodey shook his head, “What about Peter?”   
  
Tony closed his eyes, Rhodey knew precisely what he was doing. The quickest way to Tony’s heart was his son, “What about him?”   
  
“You’re dying...” Rhodey’s throat cracked, “So, what happens to Peter? He’s eight, for christ sake."  
  
“I have…” Tony stopped when he heard a quiet hiccup came from behind him. His heart plummeted into his stomach, “Shit.” He hopped out of his seat and hurried over to his _Ford Thunderbird_ , that both him and Peter were in the middle of refurbishing. They had recently taken out the seats, leaving an empty space. A space big enough for Peter to hide away.   
  
“Tony, what’s wrong?” Rhodey asked, obviously not hearing what Tony had.  
  
Tony ignored him. He fumbled for the handle and pulled it open. As he predicted, Peter was curled in the corner with his legs drawn to his chest. Silent tears were teasing down his cheeks. He was surrounded by three notebooks and a pack of gel pens. He pushed them out of his way absentmindedly, as he looked up to his dad.  
  
“What the hell are doing here!?” Tony asked, his voice wavered as he tried his best to worsen the situation. “Jesus.” He reached forward and placed his hands under Peter’s arms; he lifted him out and guided him down onto his feet.   
  
“Oh, God!” Rhodey exclaimed.   
  
Tony glared at his friend before kneeling in front of Peter, who was hiccuping through his broken sobs. He was beyond angry. Not at Peter, at himself. He knew he couldn’t shout or scream because it would only hurt Peter more. He let out a deep breath and brushed his hand through Peter’s hair, “What are doing down here?”  
  
“I wanted to surprise you,” Peter sobbed, “I’m didn’t mean--I’m sorry.”  
  
“No, no.” Tony pulled him into the comfort of his arms.  
  
“Are you gonna die?” He cried as he held onto Tony as tightly as he could.   
  
Tony’s breath hitched, he looked over at Rhodey, who was pacing on the spot in genuine shock. Tony placed a kiss on Peter’s temple; he cradled his head as Peter wept, “No. I’m just sick; I can get better.”  
  
Peter leaned back in Tony’s arms; they both stared at one another with teary-eyes, “That’s a lie.” Peter bit down on his trembling bottom lip; Tony bowed his head into his chest, Peter moved forward and twiddled Tony’s hair, like his dad did to comfort him.  
  
“Bud.” Tony melted into Peter’s arms; he pulled him close. He never wanted to let go, _never again_. He let out a deep breath before picking Peter up off the floor as his son nestled his face in his shoulder. If only a hug could save Tony, he was sure he would live a thousand lifetimes.   
  
Rhodey stepped forward, “Tony?”  
  
“Don’t.” Tony snapped, “Not right now.”  
  
“Okay…” Rhodey said, “Look, I’ll head upstairs; we can talk later.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Nothing else was said. Rhodey walked out; he glanced back a few times to look at his friend and his nephew until he couldn’t stomach the sight; he silently disappeared up the stairs.  
  
“Are...are they gonna take me away?” Peter asked as soon as Rhodey was gone.  
  
“No, no. I won’t let them.” Tony reassured him, “I’ve just been really dumb kiddo, that’s my fault.” He walked over and placed Peter down into the desk chair; he knelt sat down on the ground and clung onto Peter’s hands.   
  
“What do they want?” Peter asked.  
  
“My suits.” Tony said, “The military want them for themselves, and they might just take them.”  
  
“Why don’t you just give ‘em one?” Peter asked.  
  
“It’s not that easy.”  
  
“Why don’t you give one to Uncle Rhodey then?” Peter suggested he messed around Tony’s hands, not meeting his gaze, “You trust him.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I do.” Tony nodded, he sighed, “You know what bud?” He reached up and placed another kiss in his unruly hair, he leaned his forehead on top of Peter’s head, “You’re right. That is exactly what I’m gonna do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided not to include the party scene from Iron Man 2. 
> 
> This is due to multiple different reasons. To be honest, the main reason is I literally can't watch the scene because of the second hand embrassment. I also think Tony wouldn't behave like that with Peter around.


	36. Doughnuts

Peter didn’t know why Tony had decided to take him to a remote _Randy’s Donuts_ for Sunday morning breakfast, but he had no complaints. Ever since discovering that he might lose his dad, Peter wanted to stick to him like glue, and that meant following him everywhere, no matter how ridiculous.   
  
They sat opposite one another in a booth; there was no one else in sight. Tony had decided, for fun, that would go in their pyjamas; Peter was in his favourite Star Wars ones while Tony was rocking a baggy grey shirt and checkered bottoms.   
  
Tony chuckled uncontrollably, “Peter, buddy,” He gestured his hand towards his son’s face which was covered with icing sugar, “Did you just….completely miss your mouth?”  
  
“Shut up.” Peter wined wiping his hand over his mouth.   
  
“Okay, bud.” Tony jumped out of his seat, “Budge up.” Peter tucked himself into the corner by the window; Tony picked up a napkin, “Come here.” Peter turned, and Tony wiped his face while humming a strange melody.  
  
“Stop it,” Peter chuckled, trying to push him away, “I can do it myself.”  
  
“Bud,” Tony mused, “You couldn’t even eat it properly.” He screwed the napkin into the ball and threw it down on the table, “All clean.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
A shadow cast over their table, “Is this seat taken?” A familiar voice asked.  
  
Tony rolled his eyes before turning his chair. Nick Fury, the man who had once broken into their house to talk to Tony about the Avengers Initiative, was stood at the end of the table with his hands on his hips. Tony narrowed his eyes, and shook his head, “Actually, this is family time, so you can just scoot along.”  
  
“Thank you.” Nick said, ignoring him as he took a seat opposite them, the man looked over to Peter, “Hello Peter.”

“Hi, Mr. Fury,” Peter muttered back as he took another bite of his doughnut.  
  
Tony placed his arms on the table and leaned in, “I told you I don’t wanna join your super-secret boy band.”  
  
“No, no, no.” Nick said assertively, “See, I remember, you do everything yourself. How’s that working out for you?”  
  
“That is just plain rude.” Tony said, faking a stern tone, “Are you just gonna forget Peter’s here?”  
  
“Stark.”  
  
“Oh, okay.” Tony dotted his eyes around, “It’s… It’s… It’s…” He stuttered, “I’m sorry. I don’t wanna get off on the wrong foot. Do I look at the patch or the eye?”  
  
“Dad...” Peter nudged him.  
  
“Sorry…” Tony trailed off, “Hey bud, is he real or am I trippi--”  
  
“I am very real.” Nick cut in, “I’m the realest person you’re ever gonna meet.”  
  
“Just my luck,” Tony said, tapping the table, he turned away, “Where’s the staff here?”  
  
Nick leaned forward and pulled on Tony’s pyjama t-shirt, exposing his neck, which was covered in lacerations caused by his arc reactor, “That’s not looking so good.”  
  
Tony shifted his eyes over to Peter, and Nick registered the anger in Tony’s eyes, so he leaned back in his chair, “I’ve been worse.”  
  
Soft footsteps echoed from behind them before Tony could even turn to see who it was; Peter started to cough while trying his best to say something. The steps became to an abrupt stop. Tony placed his hand flat on Peter’s back, patting him a few times, “Remember to chew your food, bud.”   
  
Peter ignored him and looked up to the figure standing at the end of the table, with wide-eyes, “Wow.”  
  
“What?” Tony turned to look; he pushed down his sunglasses down to the ridge of his nose.  
  
Natalie Rushman was stood at the end, dressed in a black leather catsuit; she smiled at Peter before turning over to Nick, “We’ve secured the perimeter, but I don’t think we should hold it for too much longer.”  
  
“With regret,” Tony said, “You’re fired.”  
  
“No!” Peter snapped defensively while nudged Tony in the side with his elbow.   
  
“Don’t worry Peter,” Natalie said gently, “That’s not his decision to make.” She took a seat down next to Nick; he placed an arm around her back.   
  
“Tony, Peter, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff.”   
  
“Hi,” Peter said, still star-struck at the reveal; it was like one of his comic books coming to life right in front of his eyes.   
  
“Hello, Peter.” She turned over to Tony, “I’m a SHIELD shadow. Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury.”  
  
Tony leaned closer toward her, “I suggest you apologise.”  
  
“You’ve been very busy.” Fury cut in, “You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away all your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn’t know better…"  
  
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Tony said, holding his hand up, “Peter was the one who persuaded me to give one over to Rhodey.”  
  
“I expect Peter is as intuitive as you.” Nick said, “But do you really expect me to believe that you just handed over one of his suits because your son asked you too?”  
  
“Yep,” Peter said before Tony had a chance to answer.   
  
“Look at his face,” Tony gestured to Peter’s face, “No one could say no to him.” Natalie absentmindedly nodded in agreement.  
  
“Stark, I need you to--”  
  
“What do you want from me?” Tony asked.   
  
“What do we want from you?” Nick counterargued, “What do you want from me?” Natalie jumped up from her seat and walked away, “You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the centre of my universe.” He fumed, “I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with. Hit him.”  
  
Tony felt a sharp pain in his neck; he jolted back to see Natalie stood behind him holding a syringe, “Oh, God, Peter run before they knock us out and steal our kidneys.”  
  
Peter gasped as he noticed Tony’s rash disappear, “Dad. It’s gone.”   
  
“What?” Tony tapped his neck, “What did she just do to me?”  
  
Natalie moved and sat back down next to Nick, “What did we just do for you? That’s lithium dioxide. It’s gonna take the edge off. We’re trying to get you back to work.”  
  
Tony raised his eyebrows, “Give me a couple of boxes of that. I’ll be right as rain.”   
  
“It’s not a cure,” She admitted, “It just abates the symptoms.”  
  
“Doesn’t look like it’s gonna be an easy fix,” Nick added.  
  
Tony went to answer, but he noticed Peter shift uncomfortably beside him. He knew it wasn’t right to be talking about his sickness, especially with Peter sat by his side, “Okay…” He placed a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder.  
  
Natalie jumped up from her seat; she held out her hand, “Peter, come with me.”  
  
“Okay,” Peter said; Tony swiftly helped Peter over his lap onto the floor, he nodded his thanks to Natalie.  
  
“See you in a sec bud.”   
  
Peter hummed, and he grasped onto Natalie’s hand, she guided him away to the other side of the restaurant, “Nat, are you gonna save my dad?”  
  
“No,” She said gently, “But he will save himself.”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter uttered, he looked up at her, “So, are you a superhero?”  
  
“I suppose so.”    
  
“Cool.” He smiled, “I thought you were.” Natalie chuckled lightly, “Is your name really Natalie?”  
  
“No.” She said, “My name is Natasha.”   
  
“Ah, that’s awesome.”


	37. Fatherhood

Tony was not happy with SHIELD bombarding their life and taking over his house. It was intrusive and annoying as hell. He had planned a day for just him and Peter, the last time they could just be themselves, the last day before he finally plucked up the courage to tell Pepper that he was dying.   
  
He sat next to Nick on the balcony overlooking the sea, while Peter sat on the ground nearby playing with his Lego. The whole experience was rather daunting for Peter, considering his house was overrun with a dozen agents. Tony felt better having him close by.  
  
“That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology,” Nick said.  
  
“No, it was finished.” Tony told him gesturing to his chest, “It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturised it and put it in my…”  
  
“No,” Nick said sharply, “Howard said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater.”  
  
Peter darted his eyes up at the mention of his grandfather, he barely knew anything about him, the only time Tony had ever properly spoken about him was when they were preparing for the Expo. Tony had always been so secretive about him. Tony would mention Maria almost every day, but never Howard, and Peter never understood why.   
  
“He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race.” Nick continued, “He was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “Just him, or Anton Vanko in on this too?”  
  
“Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin. Anton saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn’t deliver they shipped his ass off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage. Not quite the environment you want to raise a _kid_ in, the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco.”  
  
“You told me I hadn’t tried anything. What do you mean I haven’t tried everything?” Tony asked, confused, “What haven’t I tried?”  
  
“He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started.”   
  
Tony tried his best to hold back a humourless laugh, “He said that?”  
  
Nick hummed, and leaned forward closer to Tony, “Are you that guy? Are you? ‘Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart.”  
  
Tony looked down at the floor, he shook his head, “I don’t know where you get your information, but he wasn’t my biggest fan.”  
  
“What do you remember about your dad?”  
  
“Nothing good!” Tony exclaimed, “When I adopted Peter, I knew…” He narrowed his eyes, “I just knew I had to be _nothing_ like my dad!”  
  
Peter dropped his Legos and scrambled up onto his feet, he charged over, and collided with Tony’s side, leaning his head into his hip.  
  
“Hey, bud.” Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders, “I’m alright.”   
  
He peered up to Nick, who seemed to be waiting for a better answer.  
  
“My dad was cold, he was calculating. He never told me he loved me.” He tightened his grip around Peter, “He never even told me he liked me, so it’s a little tough for me to digest when you’re telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and he’s passing it down. I don’t get _that_. You’re talking about a guy who’s happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school.”  
  
“That’s not true.” Fury said quickly.  
  
“Well, then,” Tony sighed, “Clearly, you knew my dad better than I did.”  
  
Two agents walked in carrying a case, “As a matter of fact, I did.” Nick said,  “He was one of the founding members of SHIELD.”  
  
“What?” Tony asked, beyond confused.  
  
“I got a two o’clock,” Nick said, jumping onto his feet.  
  
“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Tony stuttered, he grabbed hold of Peter’s hand as he scrambled up onto his feet, “What’s this?” He asked, pointing over at the box that was now in front of him.   
  
“Okay, you’re good, right?” Nick asked.  
  
“No, I’m not good.”  
  
“You got this? Right? Right?”  
  
“Got what?” Tony asked, “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to get.”  
  
Nick turned on his heel, “Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact,” He gestured over to her, and then turned his hand back to where Coulson was stood, “You remember Agent Coulson, right?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Nick started to walk off, he turned swiftly on his heel, “And Tony, remember, I got my eye on you,” And with that, he was gone.  
  
“We’ve disabled all communications.” Natasha told him, “No contact with the outside world. Good luck.”  
  
“Bye, Nat,” Peter said softly with a small wave.  
  
“Bye Peter,” She said as she walked through the balcony doors.  
  
Tony sighed into the silence, still baffled by what had happened, and what Nick was expecting him to do. Peter’s hand was the only thing that confirmed he was real, and not experiencing some sort of crazy hallucination.   
  
He turned around to Coulson, “Please.” Tony uttered,  “First thing, I need a little bodywork. I’ll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to The Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that’d be nice.”  
  
“I’m not here for that.” Coulson said slyly, “I’ve been authorised by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on premises.” He leaned in, making sure only Tony could hear his threat, “If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will tase you and watch _Supernanny_ while you drool into the carpet. Okay?”  
  
“I think I got it, yeah.” Tony nodded.  
  
“Enjoy your evening’s entertainment,” Coulson said before turning away and walking out.  
  
“Dad, was your dad a bad guy?” Peter asked as soon as Coulson was gone.  
  
“Um,” Tony froze. There was a certain unexplainable gravity to that question that Tony couldn’t explain. Peter couldn’t possibly understand why it was so difficult to answer. “Well, yes and no, I guess.”   
  
“Huh?”  
  
“He was good at what he did for the company.” Tony explained, “But he wasn’t a good dad."  
  
“Sorry, Dad,” Peter said, clinging onto his hand tighter.   
  
“It’s okay bud.” Tony ruffled his hair, “I had my uncle Jarvis, he was great. My dad... was just never meant to be a father.”  
  
“You were.”   
  
Tony bent down, placing a kiss in Peter’s dark curls before leaning his chin on top of his head, “Yeah.” He gestured over to the box, “Why don’t you go play in your room while I have a look at this?”  
  
“Okay."


	38. Escape

Peter had only been in his room for half an hour when Jarvis told him to meet Tony in the workshop. He dropped what he was doing and hurried downstairs, he quickly waved and sang a gentle hello to the agents, who were quietly circling his living room. He jogged down the stairs and scanned his hand to open the workshop door.  
  
“Dad?”  
  
“Oh, hey bud,” Tony whispered back in response.   
  
Peter raised his eyebrows as he stepped into the room, “Why are you whispering?”   
  
“Because we’re breaking out.” Tony told him, “Here.” He threw over Peter’s sneakers.  
  
“Didn’t Mr. Fury say we couldn’t go out?” Peter asked, sitting down on the floor to place his shoes on.  
  
“Yeah,” Tony said, “That’s why we are breaking out. He’s not the boss of us.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yep,” He popped the ‘ _p_ ’ before jogging over to Peter, he placed a finger on his lips, “But we have to make sure we’re really quiet.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter jumped up, “Where are we going?”  
  
“To see Pepper,” Tony said, “Need to talk to her about…”  
  
“Kicking her out.”  
  
“What?” Tony took a double take, his son was nonchalantly staring down at the floor, “I didn’t kick her out.”   
  
“Well, you kinda did.” Peter shrugged, “After you gave uncle Rhodey your suit, you just told ‘em all to go..”  
  
“Oh, shit, I did.” Tony hummed, in all honesty, he didn’t remember much of the evening, “Um, don’t repeat that word, it was bad.  I can apologise to Pepper for that, right?”   
  
Peter nodded, “You should.”  
  
“Yes.” Tony pointed over at his silver Aldi, “Let’s get going.” He clicked open the passenger door. Peter clambered in, and Tony closed it, “Jay, open the driveway doors, quickly and quietly.” Tony told him as he jumped into the driver’s seat.   
  
“ _Quickly, and quietly_ ,” Jarvis said.   
  
“You all belted in?”   
  
“Yep.”

* * *

Breaking house arrest was easier than Tony thought it would be, but then again, he realised that SHIELD might be advanced, but they couldn’t help to understand Jarvis’ complicated algorithm. The AI was one of a kind, only Tony (and Peter, _to a certain degree_ ) understood how he functioned.  
  
Tony noticed a strawberry stand as they drove down the highway, he pointed it out, “Should we get some? You know, for Pepper?”  
  
“Probably not.” Peter said, “She’s allergic.”  
  
“Oh.” Tony said, “Okay, that’s a no, then.”   
  
“Yeah.”  
  
When they arrived, Tony was rather glad that no one in the building seemed to care they were there. He was used to be attacked by a million and one questions as soon as he stepped one foot inside the lobby. It wasn’t until they were in the elevator that he remembered he was no longer CEO, and people didn’t need to bombard him anymore.   
  
Pepper’s assistant was reluctant to let them in, but Tony just kept talking over her as he headed closer to the door; Peter was too embarrassed to say anything. He just stood next to Tony as they backed into Pepper’s office.   
  
Pepper was sat behind her desk, on the phone. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of Tony but offered Peter a small welcoming smile before snapping back into her work persona, “Stark has given the ownership of the Mark II platform to Colonel James Rhodes, and Colonel James Rhodes alone.”   
  
“Miss Potts?” Her assistant said warily.  
  
“Relax,” Tony said.  
  
Her assistant pointed to Tony, “Mr Stark…”  
  
“Is here.” Tony finishes.   
  
“He refuses…”  
  
“I don’t. It’s fine.”  Tony reassured her, “We’ll just be a second.” Pepper held her hand up to both silence Tony, and gesture to her assistant that she had everything under control.   
  
“Listen, no one else can claim ownership besides Colonel Rhodes or Stark himself..”   
   
Peter and Tony both noticed the television playing beside them at the same time; it was one of the many news channels. The report was evidently about Tony, considering his name all over the screen.   
  
“ _And now we learn that his secretary_ …” The man began, “ _…a woman named Virginia “Pepper” Potts, has been appointed as CEO of Stark Industries_.” He creased his forehead, “ _What are her qualifications_?”  
  
Peter glared at the screen before looking over to Pepper, who had been affected by the words, “Mute.” Peter said  
  
Tony squeezed his hand, “Attaboy.”  He looked over to the mess in the corner of the office; there were boxes, and boards, all stored from setting up the Stark Expo. He jogged over, leaving Peter in the centre of the room as he shifted through his stuff, he pointed over to Pepper, “I’ll get this stuff out of here.”   
  
“We’ll talk about it at the Expo.” Pepper said as Tony pulled back a sheet on the model created by Howard Stark, he studied it before leaving it and walking over to the desk, “Hammer’s giving some presentation tomorrow evening. Will Tony Stark be there?”  
  
Tony pulled up two chairs, “Will I?”  
  
“No, he will not.” Pepper said, Tony sat down, and Peter jumped onto the chair beside him, “Bye.”  
  
“I would like to be.”Tony told her, “Got a minute?”  
  
“For you, no.” Pepper placed the phone down, “For Peter, yeah, I can spare a few.”  
  
Peter giggled as Tony rolled his eyes, “Look we were just driving over here, and um, about last night...you know it was…”  
  
“Rude? Ignorant?” Pepper asked.  
  
“I had a lot on my mind…” Tony trailed off, “And…”  
  
“Kicking us all out on your birthday was the only option.” Pepper said, “You handed over one of the suits to your best friend without consulting anyone first.”  
  
“I did consult someone first…”  
  
“Please don’t….” Pepper sighed, “Do you have any idea how much paperwork and phone calls go hand-in-hand with a decision like this?”  
  
“Of course I do, and I’m--I’m.”  
  
“Sorry.” Peter finished, both Pepper and Tony looked down at him with raised eyebrows.  
  
Tony clapped his hands together and then pointed over at Peter, “That’s the word I was um, looking for.”  
  
“And what are you sorry for exactly?” Pepper asked, “Kicking us out, giving the suit to Rhodes…”  
  
Tony let out a long exhale; he needed to tell her. Tell her that he was _dying_ , and he was terrified. Terrified about leaving them all behind, but every time he tried to say it, the words died in his throat, “Actually, it’s something--”  
  
The door clicked open, and Natasha stepped in, once again playing the part of Natalie; Happy trailed in behind her, “Ms Potts?”  
  
“Hi, come on in.” Pepper smiled as Natalie walked over towards the desk, clutching a clipboard.  
  
She eyeballed both Tony and Peter as she circled the desk, “Wheels up in 25 minutes.”   
  
“Thank you,” Pepper said, taking hold of the clipboard and placing it down in front of her.  
  
“Anything else, boss?” Happy asked.  
  
Tony turned, “I’m good, Hap.” While at the same time, Pepper said, “No, I’ll be just another minute.”  
  
Tony snorted before grinning mischievously, “I lost two of my kids in the divorce.” Peter cringed, as Tony turned to look at Happy, who shook his head in disappointment. Tony cleared his throat and turned back to Natasha, “Are you blending in well here, Natalie? Here at Stark Enterprises?”  
  
Peter nudged Tony in the side with his elbow; it seemed that Peter understood the idea of secret identities more than Tony did.   
  
“Your name is Natalie, isn’t it?” Tony asked, raising one eyebrow; Peter struck him in the side, and he gasped out slightly before pointing to  Natasha and Pepper, “I thought you two didn’t get along?”  
  
“No.” Pepper shook her head, “That’s not so.”  
  
“It’s just me you don’t care for. “ Tony muttered, “No? Nothing?”  
  
Pepper stood up and took hold of her handbag, “Actually, while you’re here, maybe you and Natalie could discuss the matter of the personal belongings.”   
  
“Absolutely.” Natasha smiled.  
  
“See you later, Peter,” Pepper said as she walked over to Happy.  
  
“Bye, Pepper.” Peter sang, “Bye, Happy.” Happy nodded at Peter before walking with Pepper and closing the door behind them.  
  
Natasha started gathering papers together on the table, “I’m surprised you can keep your mouth shut.”   
  
“Boy, you’re good.” Tony exclaimed, “You are mind-blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it? You just tear things…” He moved his hands around on the table to emphasise his words, “You’re a triple imposter. I’ve never seen anything like you. Is there anything real about you?” He narrowed his eyes, “Do you even speak Latin?”  
  
Natasha mumbled something in a foreign language as she strode away towards the door.   
  
Tony turned on his chair, “Which means? Wait. What? What did you just say?”  
  
Natasha turned in the open doorway, “It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected,” She swiftly slammed the door behind her.  
  
“I don’t think that’s what she said,” Peter said, darting his eyes up to Tony.  
  
“No, probably not.” Tony rubbed his hands together, “She’s good, though.”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
Tony sighed as he jumped onto his feet, “This went well. Let’s go home.” Peter stood up, and they walked towards the exit. Tony stopped abruptly and looked over to the clutter in the corner of the office.  
  
“Dad?”  
  
“Just a second bud.” Tony tilted his head and locked onto the 3D model plans of the Stark Expo from 1974, the same ones that had been displayed in the opening night video of Howard Stark. “Um.” He brought a hand to his face and curled it around his right eye, trying to get a better look.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Tony pointed over at the boards, “We need to take them back with us. We’re gonna need some sort of trailer.”  
  



	39. Legacy

Tony put Peter’s dinner together quickly before rushing down to his workshop to piece together the 3D model of the Stark Expo, to find what he was looking for. Peter didn’t exactly understand what was going on in Tony’s head, but he had watched Tony build things all his life, and after finding out that his dad was dying, Peter knew that Tony would find a way to save himself. He would never leave Peter behind, _not willingly_.   
  
Peter knew that his dad had an idea, a spark on inspiration. _Hope_.  
  
Peter tried his best to finish off his dinner as fast as he could; it was pretty indicating eating while agents were dotted his house. He left his empty plate on the table and hurried down to the workshop.  
  
He stopped outside the door to take in the scene in front of him, “Wow.” Tony was sat spinning on his chair surrounded by turquoise holograms of orbs floating around him; his eyes were creased in the corner as he smiled up at the projection, in complete and utter awe. Peter scanned his hand and bolted in.  
  
“Hey, bud!” Tony jumped up from his chair and held out his hand; Peter grabbed hold of it, “Come and look at this.” They skipped into the centre of the spectral; he wrapped his arms around Peter’s shoulders and placed his chin on his head as he gently spun, “Do you know what this is?”   
  
Peter hummed and shook his head, “No. What is it?”  
  
“How well do you know your elements?”  
  
“Very well!” Peter exclaimed happily, “There is Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Bery--”  
  
“Pete, don’t worry, I believe you.” Tony chuckled, “You don’t have to list them,” He tapped his shoulder, “This, right here, is a new element.”  
  
Peter looked up at him, “A new element?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony grinned, “Left behind by your grandfather for me to complete. Dead for almost twenty years, and still taking me to school.” 

“This is so cool.” Peter said, “What are you gonna call it?”  
  
“I don’t know yet.” Tony stepped away from his hand; he held out his arms and clapped his hands together, the hologram shrank down to one small orb, Tony held it between his fingers.  
  
“ _The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium,_ ” Jarvis said.  
  
“Wait…” Peter said, hope glistening in his eyes as he walked over to Tony to look at the proposed element, “It can save you?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony nodded, Peter threw himself around him; Tony chuckled as he placed an arm around him, “We got this,” He looked up, “Thanks, dad.”  
  
“ _Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesise_ ” Jarvis informed them.  
  
Peter’s face fell, Tony ruffled his hair, “Impossible? Nothing’s impossible for a Stark, Jay.” He stepped away and pointed over to DUM-E who chirped gladly, “Get ready for a major remodel, fellas. We’re back in hardware mode.”   
  
Peter darted away over to the main computer, “I’ll choose the music!”

* * *

For the rest of the evening, Peter had been shielded away from Tony’s work, in a yellow hard hat, and hi-vis vest, while being restricted to one corner of the workshop as Tony tore the house apart, brick by brick. Tony had stopped half-way through hammering the garage wall, to carry a sleepy Peter to bed. The next morning, Peter burst in, ready to watch again from the safety of his corner.  
  
“I added the clip, so you will stop taking this off,” Tony said, placing the hard hat onto Peter’s head, he fastened the clasp, “There we go.”  
  
Peter started to attach the velcro up his vest, “Why aren’t you wearing one?”  
  
“I can’t ruin my hair.” Tony said, brushing a hand through it, “Look at it. It’s perfect.”  
  
“Dummy,” Peter muttered.  
  
“You better be talking to DUM-E, and not me, young man,” Tony said, tapping Peter’s helmet.  
  
“Yeah totally.” Peter looked over to DUM-E, who beeped happily, “Are you almost done?”  
  
“I think so.” Tony skipped over to the semi-assembled particle accelerator which had had running through the workshop, out through broken holes in the walls, “Just having a little trouble balancing it.” He placed the leveller down, “Crap.” He looked up at the wide-eyed Peter, “I didn’t say that.”  
  
Peter creased his forehead and tilted his head into his shoulder, Tony snorted, because he knew Peter’s expression translated to ‘ _Yeah, right_.’  
  
“Sorry, bud.” Tony turned and grabbed a blue plastic bag, “Do you think you could tighten the bolt DUM-E’s arm?”  
  
“Yep!”   
  
“Here you go.” Tony handed over a screwdriver; Peter stood up onto his step stool.  
  
“Come on, E,” He sang; DUM-E span around, “Stop, stop, stop.” Peter chuckled, “Sit still.”   
  
Tony chuckled as he walked back over to the accelerator; he tried to balance the coil, while Peter and DUM-E bickered.  
  
“Dad, Coulson’s here,” Peter said mid-laugh.  
  
“Oh yeah.” Tony sighed, turning away to reach for the leveller.  
  
Coulson scanned his hand and clicked the door open, DUM-E turned to look at him as he stepped in, “I heard you broke the perimeter.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased as he tried his best to suppress a laugh, “Yeah. That was, like, three years ago. Where have you been?”  
  
“I was doing some stuff,” Coulson told him as he walked toward the box that was next to where Peter was standing, “Shouldn’t you be at school?”  
  
“No. It’s a…” Peter trailed off as he tried to find the words.  
  
“Training Day.” Tony said as he placed the leveller on the coil, “Hey, I’m playing for the home team Coulson, you and all your Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Now, are you gonna let me work or break my balls?”  
  
Coulson reached into the box, and pulled out a circular item, almost like an incomplete shield; it had a white star in the middle which was outlined by a strip of blue, the main body of the shield was silver, but a red strip wrapped around the outline, “What’s this doing here?”  
  
Tony looked over, his eyes glistened, “That’s it.” He said softly, “Bring that to me.”   
  
Coulson walked over, raising his eyebrow, “You know what this is?” He held it out, and Tony took hold of it.  
  
“It’s exactly what I need to make this work.” Tony said, “Lift the coil.” Coulson lifted it, but it was heavy than he expected, as he arms wavered, “Go, go. Put your knees into it.”  Tony slid the shield underneath, “There you go. And… Drop it. Drop it.” Coulson let go, and Tony placed the leveller down, “Perfectly level.”   
  
“Yay.” Peter grinned behind jumping down from his stool.  
  
“Almost there bud.” Tony smiled; he dotted his eyes back to Coulson, “We’re busy. What do you want?”  
  
“Nothing.” Coulson said, in his usual almost-robotic tone, “Goodbye.” Tony looked up at him, “I’ve been reassigned. Director Fury wants me in New Mexico.”  
  
“Fantastic.” Tony said, “ Land of Enchantment.”  
  
“So I’m told.”  
  
“Secret stuff?” Tony asked, narrowing his eyes in anticipation.  
  
“Something like that.” He said, “Good luck.”  
  
“Bye.” He held out his hand, and Coulson shook it, “Thanks.”   
  
“We need you,” Coulson told him.  
  
“Yeah, more than you know,” Tony commented.  
  
Coulson scoffed under his breath, “Not that much.” He turned to the door, “Goodbye, Peter.”  
  
“Bye.” Peter sang as Coulson opened the door and left, “Are you done?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony nodded, “It’s ready.”   
  
“Nice.”  
  
“So,” Tony walked out, “This is going to be dangerous, so can you go up to your room, and I will call you when this is done?”  
  
“But dad….”  
  
“Bud, this is not a ‘but dad’ situation,” Tony said, “And don’t give me those puppy dog eyes, you know they’re my weakness, but they won’t work.” He placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll be okay; Jarvis will send for you as soon as it’s done.”   
  
Peter sighed, defeated, “Alright.” 


	40. Dead Man Calling

Peter thought he had been up in his rooms for hours, maybe even days, as he waited for Tony to complete the process, the process of creating an entirely new element, no ‘ _biggy_ ’ especially not for a Stark. However, when Jarvis informed Peter that it was safe to go down to the workshop, the AI told Peter that he had only been waiting two hours. Two of the longest hours of Peter’s life.  
  
He burst into the lab as he chanted ‘dad’ multiple times; he noticed that the accelerator had demolished one of the walls, he cringed knowing already that his summer break was going to be a long three months of putting his house back together with Tony.   
  
“Peter, Peter, Peter,” Tony stuttered, mimicking his son’s tone, “Get over here.”  
  
“Did it work?” Peter hurried over to where Tony was sat, his dad pushed the chair forward and pointed at the arc reactor that was at the end of the bench, “Wow.”  
  
“Jarvis is just scanning it, making sure it’s safe.”   
  
“That’s--” Peter leaned in until his face was only an inch away from the glass, the light shined brightly in his eyes, “So cool.”  
  
Tony grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him up, “Careful bud, you might blind yourself.”   
  
Peter looked up at him, with wide teary-eyes. He sniffled and pulled his jacket sleeve over his hand; he rubbed it over his face.  
  
“Hey, bud?” Tony spoke softly; he lifted Peter’s trembling chin with a finger, “What’s up?”   
  
Peter threw himself into his arms and tucked his face into his chest. Tony reached down and pulled up on Peter’s legs, helping him up onto his lap. Tony locked his arms around him and leaned his chin on Peter’s head, “Peter?”  
  
“You’re gonna be okay now,” Peter uttered into his chest.  
  
_Okay_. Tony’s heart fluttered in his chest, and his breath hitched in realisation. They’d done it. _He was going to be okay_. He kissed Peter’s hair and blinked away tears. “Yeah, I’m gonna be okay now.” _I’m not leaving you behind._  
  
“Good.” Peter cooed, he leaned his head back, “Love you, dad.”  
  
“To the moon and back,” Tony smiled, “So after Jarvis has run all the diagnostics, should we go and see a movie or something?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter turned on the lap until he was sat with his back leaning into Tony’s chest, “Shrek Forever After?”  
  
“They made another one?” Tony asked; Peter nodded, “Okayyy, we can watch it.” He turned around in his chair, “DUM-E, U, can we clean up this mess?” He gestured to the floor, “You’re killing me. You know I don’t…”  
  
A constant buzz started on the computer behind them, “ _Incoming call with a blocked number sir_ ,” Jarvis informed him.   
  
“My phone privilege is reinstated.” Tony said, tapping Peter’s shoulder, he rolled the chair towards the desk, “Lovely.” He clicked the keyboard, “Coulson. How’s the Land of Enchantment?”  
  
“ _Hey, Tony, how you doing_?”   
  
Tony tensed and gripped tighter onto Peter. This was impossible; Tony had been informed that Ivan Vanko, dubbed the ‘whiplash’ by the media, had died in jail shortly after their fight. There no mistaking him though, Tony would know his voice and his mischevious humourless laugh anywhere.  
  
“ _I double cycle_.”   
  
“You what?” Tony asked quickly.  
  
“ _You told me double cycle’s more power. Good advice_.”  
  
Tony sighed as Peter wrapped his hand around his arm, “You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy.  
  
“ _You too_.”  
  
Tony closed his eyes for a second, he leaned forward and pressed the mute button, muting the microphone, “Trace him.”  
  
“ _Sir_ ,” Jarvis answered.  
  
“ _Now, the true history of the Stark name will be written_.”  
  
“Jarvis, where is he?” Tony asked.  
  
At the same time, as Peter’s small voice, asked, “Dad, who is it?” Tony couldn’t bring himself to answer.  
  
“ _Accessing the Oracle grid.”_ Jarvis said, “ _Eastern Seaboard._ ”   
  
“ _What your father did to my family over 40 years, I will do to_ ** _yours_** _in 40 minutes.”_  
  
“Jesus,” Tony unconsciously tightened his arm around Peter.  
  
“ _Tri-State area. Manhattan and outlying boroughs_.” Jarvis informed him.  
  
“ _I hope you’re ready,_ ” Ivan said before hanging up, leaving Tony with the ominous sound of the hang-up tone.  
  
“ _Call trace incomplete_ ,” Jarvis said.  
  
“Shit.” Tony cursed, he turned the chair around.  
  
“Dad…..” Peter said, his voice small, “You’re hurting me.”  
  
“Sorry, bud.” Tony loosened his grip, “Sorry.”   
  
“Doesn’t matter,” Peter told him, “Who was that?”  
  
“That was…” Tony turned on his seat, “That was the guy from Monaco.”  
  
Peter pressed his head back into Tony’s chest as the revelation, “What’s he gonna do?”  
  
“I’m not sure yet,” Tony stopped when he noticed the computer in front of him; it was the Stark Expo main page, an advert for Justin Hammer’s talk was prominent, “Son of a bitch…Don’t repeat that.”  
  
Tony gently pushed Peter off his lap, and he jumped up, “What is it?”  
  
“I think….” Tony softened his expression, “I think Justin Hammer is working with him.”  
  
Peter nodded, “Oh, okay.”  
  
Tony creased his forehead; maybe _Peter did have some sort of sense for danger._ First with Obadiah, and now with Hammer.  
  
“Peter, I have to stop him.” Tony said, “And I know you don’t like me…”  
  
“It’s okay, dad.” Peter cut him off, “You’re Iron Man.”   
  
“Let’s do this.” Tony took hold of the new arc reactor.  
  
“Dad, wait!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
Jarvis shouted in unison, “ _Sir_!”  
  
Tony clicked out his old arc reactor, and pushed the new one in, “You want to run some tests, run them.” He punched it, “And assemble the suit while you’re at it. Put it together now.”  
  
“ _We are unclear as to the effects_.”  
  
“I don’t want to hear it, Jarvis.” Tony snapped, he gasped out in pain as the arc reactor glowed brighter.  
  
“Dad!”  
  
“I’m okay bud.” Tony gasped, he leaned his head back, “It tastes like coconut.” He shook his head as he yelped, “And metal. Oh, wow, yeah!” The light died down, and Tony bowed his head into his chest, trying to breathe in his natural rhythm. He looked down to see Peter prodding his arm, “Woah, I think it worked.”  
  
Peter sighed before leaning his head into Tony’s hip, “Idiot.”  
  
“I know.” Tony said, “Okay, I need to go. I will call someone to come over, and make sure…”  
  
“No!” Peter shouted, pulling away, “I’m coming with you!”  
  
“Peter that’s not happening.” Tony told him, “You’re staying here.”  
  
“I have to come with you…” Peter said, “I don’t wanna be on my own.” He sniffled, “And I don’t want you to be on your own.”  
  
“Bud…”  
  
Peter swallowed a lump in his throat, “Please!”   
  
Tony didn’t want to bring Peter or leave Peter behind. There was no in-between. It hit him when he realised Peter would be in danger in both situations. If he left his son behind, Vanko could single him out, and target him while he was alone, while he was vulnerable. Or, he could bring Peter to the front line, but Pepper and Natasha were there, Peter wouldn’t be alone.   
  
“Okay.” Tony sighed, “But when we get there, you have to go to Pepper straight away, okay?”  Peter nodded, “Are you okay with flying with me?”   
  
“It will be fun,” Peter smiled, “Can I wear my Iron Man mask? It makes me feel brave.”  
  
“Me too.” Tony said, “Go and get it, and then we’ll go.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #2 gratuitous spider-man foreshadowing


	41. The Front Line

Flying thousands of miles above the ground clinging onto Tony was terrific, and terrifying. Peter knew Tony would never drop him, but that didn’t stop him from clutching onto his dad as tightly as he possibly could.   
  
Tony warned Peter not to look down, because the sight was rather daunting, seeing the tops of buildings and the clouds surrounding them. Peter, of course, didn’t listen and looked down within the first few minutes, which led to him letting out a high pitch squeak, and his dad regretting his recent life choices. Thankfully, Peter’s mask was fully equipped for these situations; Tony quickly activated the ‘ _lights down protocol_ ’ which limited what Peter could see, and hear.   
  
Unlike most children his age, Peter was not afraid of the dark.  
  
“Bud, we’re almost there. Do you remember what you have to do?” Tony’s voice played through Peter’s helmet.  
  
“Find Pepper or Nat.” Peter recited,  “And stay with ‘em.”’  
  
“We got this,” Tony said, with a waver in his voice, “Jarvis disable lights out protocol in Peter’s helmet, but cap the incoming sound at 50%.”   
  
“ _Yes, sir._ ”   
  
Slowly, Peter could make out the sounds of the crowd of the Expo cheering for Hammer, blissfully unaware of what was to come. He looked down and made out Hammer’s bots lined up on stage, Justin himself was at the front. The familiar but modified Mark II armour was behind him, Peter knew that it was Rhodey (but he also knew his uncle wasn’t one of the bad guys.)  
  
Peter closed his eyes as Tony landed down on the stage. The audience erupted in cheers and applause at the sudden appearance of the Starks. Tony helped Peter down onto his feet; absent-mindedly Peter reached for the base of his mask and pulled it off, the crowd celebrated. 

“Peter, go,” Tony said, urgently but soft.

Peter turned to the audience, clutching his mask in his hand. His eyes desperately searched for Pepper; he soon found both her and Natasha looking up at him, confusion written across their faces. That confusion crumbled into an utter panic when they saw Peter’s panicked expression.    
  
Natasha charged away from Pepper’s side, dropping her facade in an instant, for Peter. She darted down the aisle, one intense glare at the security personnel, and she was through, “Peter!” Peter slid over to the end of the stage, and sat down, dangling his feet over the edge, Natasha picked up in one swoop and rushed back towards Pepper.   
  
“What the hell.” Pepper rushed over, placing a hand on Peter’s back, “What’s going on, sweetheart?”  
  
Peter held out his hand, which he was using to clutch on his helmet, “Bad guy.”  
  
“Who, Hammer?” Natasha asked.  
  
Peter darted his eyes up to Tony, who was in the middle of confronting Hammer,  “Yeah.”  
  
“Oh, God.” Pepper cursed, “We need to get everyone out of here.” Rhodey’s gun, which was on the back of his armour, suddenly armed itself and pointed directly at Tony; Natasha and Pepper jolted back as the Hammer’s bots held out their guns, directed strictly on Tony, and Tony alone.   
  
“Dad!” Peter screamed, silencing the audience members around them.   
  
Hammer darted off the stage, as Tony flew up out of the stadium, trying his best to protect the people left behind. The Hammer Bots and Rhodey pointed their weapons up and started firing. Instead of hitting their desired target, they hit the glass ceiling, it shattered and fell onto the audience below  
  
Natasha placed her hand on the back of Peter’s head, and bent down, shielding him from the potential impact, “Shit!” Pepper exclaimed, “Peter, are you okay?!”  
  
“I got him!” Natasha shouted back, “Where did Hammer go?”  
  
“That way!” Peter pointed to the corner of the stage.  
  
“Backstage.” Pepper said, “This way!”  
  
Pepper pushed her way through the screaming crowds; her eyes kept darting up to the sky, searching for Tony. Natasha followed her tail while keeping Peter held in her arms. The security personnel were too busy dealing with the hectic audience to even notice the three of them hurry through the backstage doors.  
  
“Peter,” Pepper turned around but kept walking backwards, “How does your dad know that Hammer’s the bad guy?”  
  
“He’s working with bad guy…” Peter trailed off, “...From Monaco.”  
  
“Vanko’s alive,” Pepper uttered under her breath; she spun back and picked up her pace, she charged down a step of stairs.  
  
Hammer was by a computer desk; two men were sat at the there, typing at superhuman speeds, obviously attempting to work out what was going on, and stop it, “He’s locked us out of the mainframe.” One of the men said.  
  
“You mean Ivan Vanko has locked you out of the mainframe,” Pepper said, stepping in.  
  
Hammer gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he looked over to the trio, “Look darling I don’t know what Anthony has told you, but please, just go away. I’ve got this handled.”  
  
“Have you now?” Pepper asked.  
  
“Yes, I do. In fact, if your guy hadn’t showed up, this wouldn’t be happening. So, please, now go away.” Hammer turned back to the two sat at the desk; Natasha gently placed Peter back down on the ground, and stepped forward, “Listen, we got to get these bitches out of here.”  
  
Natasha grabbed Hammer’s arm and twisted it behind his back; he yelped out in pain, as she grabbed his shoulder and pushed him down onto the desk, “Where is he?!”  
  
Pepper moved forward in shock, and cupped her hand over Peter’s eyes; he groaned in disappointment.  
  
“Who?” Hammer shouted.  
  
Natasha tugged his hair and slammed his head back down onto the desk, his glasses smashed on impact, “Ivan Vanko, where is he?”  
  
“At my facility.”   
  
Natasha let him go, she turned and hurried away; Pepper nodded her gratitude before letting go of Peter and taking out her phone. She dialled quickly and held it to her ear, “I need NYPD, please.”   
  
Hammer held up his hand and waved in front of Pepper’s face, “No, no, _no_!”   
  
Pepper ignored him, “Command Central.”  
  
“No, no, honey.” Hammer counited to wave his hand, and speak with a patronising tone, “Don’t call the authorities.”   
  
“Okay, right away. Right away.” Pepper said.  
  
She placed her hand over the receiver and turned around, holding out one arm to usher Peter towards her. She was sure, for a second, her heart stopped. She swallowed the panic in her throat, as the walls started to close in on her, as fear weighed down on her chest.  
  
Peter wasn’t there.   
  
“Peter!”   
  
Her scream went _unanswered_. 


	42. Aren't You A Little Short For A Stormtrooper?

Tony couldn’t help but think that flying away felt like running away. He knew that he had no other choice, the bots were locked onto him, and he had to make sure they weren’t hurting innocent people on their pursuit of him. He couldn’t help but notice, as he darted around, trying to find a way out, that some of the bots were grounded; he knew Vanko had a plan that involved gratuitous bloodshed.   
  
“ _Sir, you have an incoming call from Agent Romanoff._ ”   
  
“Tell her I’m a little busy right now!” Tony exclaimed as he turned around and sent out a blast, knocking back two Hammer Bots.  
  
“ _Order has been overridden. Rerouting to your heads-up display_.”   
  
“Romanoff?”  
  
“ _Stark, we can’t find Peter_.” Natasha said, her tone urgent, “ _He was with Pepper, and he’s gone. I’ve got her on hold; I can’t see--”_  
  
“Shit,” Tony said, as his chest tightened in panic, he changed course, “Did he have his helmet?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“I can track him,” Tony informed her,   
  
“ _I’ll keep looking on the ground_.” With that, Romanoff hung up.   
  
“Jay, can you track Peter’s location?” Tony asked, “Send it through to both Agent Romanoff and me.”   
  
“ _I can contact Peter for you, sir_.” Jarvis said, displaying Peter’s location on the screen, “ _But the power is running low in his helmet.”_  
  
“Contact him, contact him now,” Tony barked. He couldn’t believe that amongst the madness, he had forgotten charge Peter’s helmet.  
  
“ _Dad_?” Peter’s voice spoke through the intercom.  
  
“Peter!” Tony yelled he couldn’t tell if he was angry, or just relieved to hear Peter’s voice or both. It was both. “I’m coming to get you, okay? Just stay where you are.”   
  
“Okay.” Peter, to Tony’s genuine surprise, didn’t sound scared. H couldn’t pin precisely what Peter was feeling, but his tone sounded almost confident. Like he knew that running off was wrong, but he didn’t care.   
  
“I’m almost there!”  
  
“ _Sir, a bot has locked onto Peter_!” Jarvis shouted, sounding more human than he ever had before.  
  
_His mask is identical to mine, his mask is identical to mine, his mask is identical to mine,_ Tony chanted in his head as he flew down, “Peter, get out of there now!”  
  
What happened next, Tony had never prepared himself to see. Peter was stood alone, with Hammer Bot pointing its gun directly at him, and Peter didn’t move. Even though the crazed crowd was running rampant in the distant, Peter didn’t even flinch. _No_ , Peter raised his hand towards the bot; he was wearing his fake _Iron Man_ glove.  
  
“Stay away from my kid!” Tony shouted, he landed behind Peter, and let out a shot from his repulsor, the bot was destroyed instantly.  
  
“Wow!” Peter said, jumping around to face Tony.  
  
Tony lifted his face flap. He was angry, and Peter was definitely going to be grounded, but right now, he was just relieved to see his son. “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?”  
  
“Yep!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
“Come here,” Tony reached down and pulled Peter’s helmet off his head, to reveal his son’s courageous smile, which faded as soon as Tony tossed the helmet away.  
  
“Dad, what--”  
  
“Don’t worry; I can make you a new one.” The helmet was easily replaceable; Peter was _not_.   
  
“Stark!” Romanoff shouted from nearby.  
  
“Go to her, and stay with Pepper!” Tony told him, pointing over to Natasha, Peter sighed, “I’m serious bud.”  
  
“Okay,” Peter promised; he turned and charged towards Natasha.  
  
Tony waited until he saw Natasha take Peter’s hand before flying away to take on Hammer’s bots. 

* * *

  
Natasha didn’t speak as tightly held onto Peter’s hand and darted towards the backstage door. Peter could tell that she obviously needed to be somewhere else. Peter could hear Pepper’s footsteps before he saw her, soon she was chanting his name under her breath as she turned the corner to meet them.   
  
“Peter!”   
  
Peter’s finger slipped out of Natasha’s hand, and he sped over to Pepper. He wrapped his around her and buried his face into her hip, “Sorry.”   
  
Pepper wrapped one arm around him and laid one over her chest as she up heavenward in relief, “I’m not angry, sweetie.” She slumped forward and folded her arms around him, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”  
  
“Miss. Potts, I’ve got to go.” Natasha said, backing away.  
  
“Go, go; I’ve got him.” Pepper told her,  “Thank you.”  
  
“No problem.” Natasha brought her phone to her ear and starting barking orders to Happy as she charged away.  
  
Pepper knelt in front of Peter; she brushed his hair out of his eyes before taking hold of both his hands, “Why did you run sweetheart?”  
  
“I didn’t want dad to be alone.”   
  
Pepper’s heart fluttered in her chest, “I see. But staying with me it’s going to help him out too.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yeah.” Pepper said, “We have a job to do.”  
  
They both hurried backstage where Hammer and the two technicians were still trying to work out how Vanko was controlling the bots.  
  
One of the technicians turned to look at her, “Miss. Potts. Each set of drones is communicating in its own unique language.”   
  
She leaned over the desk to look at the screen, “Well, choose one and focus on that.”  
  
“Have you tried Russian?” Hammer asked, holding the brim of his nose, “Why don’t you try Russian?”  
  
Peter couldn’t do much to help out, and he couldn’t pace around aimlessly like he did usually did, because Pepper was holding his hand bone-crushingly tight, which he understood. She couldn’t lose sight of him again. He started to chew his nails and bounce back and forth on the spot.  
  
After a while, Peter couldn’t tell if it had been hours or minutes, he noticed a message blink on the computer at the end of the bench, the one which was not being used by the technicians.  
  
He pulled on Pepper’s arm, “Wait a second, honey.”   
  
Peter, like Tony, was persistent, he kept tugging on her hand, “Look.” He pointed over at the screen.  
  
“What is that?” Pepper moved over and shook the mouse on the desk; the message stopped blinking; the message box said ‘ _Incoming call_ ,’  and there was only an accept button, there wasn’t even an ‘ _x_ ’ to shut it off. Pepper clicked it, waiting to see who it was, she made sure Peter was hidden behind her leg. Just in case it was Vanko.  
  
It was not. It was Natasha, video calling them from what seemed to be the inside of a computer lab. From what they could see, Natasha was wearing a black catsuit,  “ _Miss. Potts. I’m inside Hammer Industries now. I’m trying to regain power over Colonel Rhodes’ suit._ ”   
  
“Um,” Pepper stuttered, “Thank you, Natalie.”  
  
“ _Natasha_ ,” the Agent said calmly, she muttered something inaudible about her ‘ _cover being blown at this point_ ’ then she uttered something in Russian, “ _You can ask Peter_.”   
  
Pepper looked back to Peter; he chuckled nervously at the sight of her infamous glare, “She’s a superhero...like dad.” He said, “Natasha Romanoff.”  
  
Pepper’s face fell in confusion, “What?”  
  
“She works for SHIELD.”  
  
“Did your dad know about this?” Pepper asked.  
  
Peter shook his head, “We found out yesterday.”  
  
“ _I’ll patch you through to Stark as soon as I’ve done this_.”   
  
“Thank you….” Pepper trailed off, “Natasha.”  
  
“Did you stop the bad guy Nat?” Peter asked.  
  
“ _He’s not here._ ” Natasha told him, “ _But Happy’s gone to see if he’s still in the building.”_  
  
“Okay.” He yawned and leaned his head into Pepper’s side.  
  
“Tired?”  
  
“A little.” Peter sniffled, “But I wanna wait for dad.”  
  
“I know.” She said, threading her fingers through his hair.  
  
“ _Reboot complete_ ,” Natasha said, she looked up to the other side of the screen, “ _You got your best friend back._ ”  
  
“She did it,” Peter said nudging Pepper’s side.  
  
“ _Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff._ ” Tony’s voice sang.  
  
Peter grinned at the sound of Tony’s voice, “Well done on the new chest piece,” Natasha started, “I am reading significant higher output, and your vitals all look promising.”  
  
“ _Yes, for the moment, I’m not dying_.” Tony said calmly, “ _Thank you._ ”  
  
Pepper face dropped in alarm, “What do you mean you’re _not_ dying?” Her voice was surprisingly high-pitched, “Did you just say you’re _dying_?”  
  
“ _Is that you_?” Tony asked, “ _No, I’m not. Not anymore_.”  
  
“What’s going on?” Pepper turned to Peter, who dotted his eyes to the floor.  
  
“ _I was going to tell you._ ” Tony started, “ _I didn’t want to alarm you_.”   
  
“You were gonna tell me? You really were dying?”  
  
“ _You didn’t let me_.”  
  
Pepper’s voice cracked, “Why didn’t you tell me that?”  
  
“ _I was gonna make you an omelette and tell you._ ”  
  
“ _Hey, hey._ ” Natasha interrupted, “ _Save it for the honeymoon. You got incoming Tony. Looks like the fight’s coming to you._ ”  
  
“ _Great._ ” Tony huffed, “ _Pepper_?”  
  
Pepper let out a small sigh, “Are you okay now?”  
  
“ _I am fine_.” He reassured her, “ _Don’t be mad. I will formally apologise…_ ”  
  
“I am mad!” She exclaimed.   
  
“…w _hen I’m not fending off a Hammeroid attack_.” He finished.  
  
“Fine.”   
  
“ _We could have all been in Venice_ ,” Tony pointed out.  
  
Pepper narrowed her eyes, “Oh, please.”  
  
“ _Hey, bud_?” Tony said, turning his attention to Peter, “ _It’s way past your bedtime…. you still up_?”  
  
“Yeah!” Peter chirped sleepily.  
  
“ _I’m almost done here_.” He told him, “ _And then we can go home_.”  
  
Peter stepped closer to the monitor, “Love you.”   
  
“ _To the moon and back_.”


	43. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Peter noticed the police rushing into the room before anyone else. He let go of a nervous laugh at the sight of them; they were coming for Hammer.  Peter and Pepper had helped caught one of the bad guys. He tugged on Pepper’s arm and turned her attention to the police.   
  
Pepper side-eyed Hammer as the police walked towards her, “That’s your guy here.” She absent-mindedly placed herself in front of Peter, as the cops closed in on Hammer.   
  
“Excuse me?” Hammer was genuinely shocked.   
   
“You’re being placed under arrest.” An officer said, as two more turned Hammer around.   
  
“Are you kidding me?” Hammer glared at Pepper, but she was able to hold her stern expression as he stared her down.   
  
“Hands behind your back, sir.” The officer ordered, placing Hammer in handcuffs.   
  
“I’m trying to help here.” Hammer bowed his head into his chest, and barked out a small laugh; he darted his eyes up to Pepper as a crooked smile grew on his face, “ I get it. I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to pin this on me, huh? That’s good. That’s _good_. You’re starting to think like a CEO, taking out the competition. I like that. You think you’re making a problem for me?” Three officers pushed him towards the exit, “I’m gonna make a problem for you. I’m gonna be seeing you again real soon.”  
  
“That’s enough, sir.” One of the officers snapped.  
  
Pepper was too busy staring at Hammer, to notice Peter move, he lunged his foot forward, and it connected with Hammer’s shin. The billionaire squealed out in pain, his face flushed red, and he went for Peter, but he was held back, “You little shit!”  
  
Pepper held out her arm, pushing Peter back as the officers dragged Hammer out of the room. As soon as he was gone, she looked down at Peter, with wide-eyes and a dropped jaw, “Peter.”  
  
Peter  dotted his eyes to the floor,  “Sorry.”  
  
“That was not like you at all.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Pepper chuckled unsurely, Peter looked up to her and erupted into a fit of giggles,  “It’s okay, I wanted to do that too.”  
  
“Ms. Potts.” Three officers stepped forward, “Are you free to talk to us about what’s going on here?”  
  
“Yes, of course.” Pepper gestured to the exit, “We can walk and talk if you like.”  
  
They all walked out of the stage up to the central part of the stadium as Pepper updated the officers on the events of the evening. When they made it outside, it was a _wasteland_. There was not a single soul in sight, only the sound of distant crowds, and sirens. There were no active Hammer bots either, only the shells of those that had been defeated in battle.  
  
Peter hadn’t been listening to what Pepper had been discussing, and he didn’t notice the conversation was over until all the police stepped away, leaving Pepper and Peter alone, “Where did they go?”  
  
“They’ve gone to make sure the city is safe and protected.” Pepper told him, “We just have to wait here until the park is clear, and then we can call Happy to pick us up.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“If you feel tired,” Pepper said, brushing a hand through his hair, “I can ask Happy to come and get you now.”  
  
“No, I’ll wait with you.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“I gotta protect you,” Peter said, leaning his head into her side.  
  
“Ah, okay,” Pepper wrapped her arm around him, “I’ll protect you too.”  
  
The pair passed the time by talking about the clean up that would be involved to get rid of the bots. Pepper was not impressed that it would be her job, but Peter reassured her that he would help, and he would somehow persuade Tony too.   
  
Peter stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a repetitive ominous beeping coming from all directions. He turned to look at one of the bots that were a few steps ahead of them; its beeping was joined by a red flashing light coming from its arc reactor. Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder, protectively pulling him toward her.  
  
Before either of them could question what was happening, the Iron Man suit swept towards them; Tony bent down and wrapped an arm around both of them before swiftly taking to the skies. Pepper let out a scream while Peter scrunched his eyes shut.   
  
The ground below them erupted into multiple explosions, as the discarded suits detonated. Tony guided them up and away from the destruction, towards the top of a skyscraper.   
  
Peter found his feet first as they landed, and he scrambled away to catch his breath, he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle of excitement.   
  
Pepper didn’t share in his joy, as soon as she was down, she forcibly pushed Tony away.  
  
The armour glitched, sparks flew out as it malfunctioned. Tony yanked the helmet off and threw it down to the side. Pepper placed her face in her hands, “Oh my God! I can’t take this anymore.”    
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “You can’t?”   
  
“I can’t take this,” Pepper muttered breathlessly.  
  
Tony gestured to his tore apart suit, “Look at me!”  
  
“My body, literally, cannot handle the stress.” Pepper admitted, she gestured over the roof, “I never know if you’re gonna kill yourself or wreak the whole company.”  
  
Tony held his arm out, “I think I did okay.” A small explosion erupted behind him.  
  
Peter cupped a hand over his mouth, trying to hold back a snicker. He turned away from the argument and noticed Rhodey; he was sitting on an air vent, watching the confrontation. Peter darted over to him, keeping quiet.   
  
“I quit.” Pepper proclaimed, “I’m resigning! That’s it.”  
  
Tony’s face fell, “What did you just say?” He stepped closer, “You’re done? That’s surprising. _No,_ it’s not surprising. I get it. You don’t have to make excuses.”  
  
“I’m… I’m… I’m not making any excuses.”  
  
“You actually were just making excuses.” Tony pointed out, “But you don’t have to.”  
  
Rhodey jokingly hovered his gloved hand in front of Peter’s mouth to tell him to be quiet, as he giggling was growing louder. Peter rolled his eyes and pushed his arm away.  
  
“No, I wasn’t making an excuse.” Pepper snapped, “I’m actually very justified.”  
  
“Listen.” Tony said gently, he reached out and took her hand, “Hey, hey. You deserve better.”  
  
“Well…”  
  
“You’ve taken such good care of me,” Tony said, “I’ve been in a tough spot, but you got me through it, so… Right?”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Pepper smiled, “Thank you for understanding.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Tony stepped in closer, “Let’s talk clean-up.”  
  
“I’ll handle the transition. It’ll be smooth.”   
  
“Okay.” Tony narrowed his eyes, “What about the press? Because you only had the job for a week. That’s gonna seem…”  
  
“Well, with you it’s like dog years,” Pepper exclaimed.  
  
“I know.”  
  
“I mean, it’s like the Presidency…” Pepper never finished her sentence, as Tony gently pulled on her side and guided her into a kiss.   
  
Peter squealed and jumped up; he bit his lip to try and silence himself. Rhodey moved his hand up, shielding Peter’s eyes, “Hey.”   
  
“You’re too young to see this.” Rhodey mocked.  
  
Tony and Pepper leaned back, they were lost in each other’s eyes for a second, and neither of them hadn’t noticed Peter and Rhodey muttering among themselves.   
  
Tony squinted and tilted his head into his shoulder, “Weird.”  
  
“No, it’s not weird ” Pepper reassured him.  
  
“It’s okay, right?”  
  
Pepper leaned in, “Yeah.”  
  
“Run that by me again,” Tony said, Pepper pulled him into another kiss.  
  
“We think it was weird!” Rhodey exclaimed, ruining their moment. Tony and Pepper jumped back, and turned to look, “You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape.”  
  
“I had just quit, actually.” Pepper defended.  
  
“Yeah, so we’re not…”  
  
“You don’t have to do that.” Rhodey gestured to Peter, “We heard the whole thing.”  
  
“Um, okay…” Tony trailed off, “Rhodey, you should get lost.”  
  
“I was here first.” Rhodey pointed out, “Get a roof.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “I thought you were out of one-liners.”  
  
“That’s the last one.”  
  
“You kicked ass back there, by the way,” Tony told him, smiling.  
  
“Thank you. You too.” Rhodey jumped onto his feet, “By the way, thanks for the suit.” Without a second word, Rhodey stepped away from Peter and flew up into the night sky.  
  
Peter darted over to Tony and Pepper while squealing; he attempted to throw his arms around both of them but failed. Pepper and Tony chuckled amused, they moved closer together and knelt, Peter scrambled in-between them, laying his head on Pepper’s shoulder.   
  
“So I guess this means…” Tony trailed off, looking over to Pepper, “You’re not resigning.”  
  
“Shut up, dad,” Peter mumbled, Pepper snorted as she tightened her arm around Peter.  
  
“Whatever you say, bud.”


	44. Goodbye, For Now (IM2)

Tony and Peter didn’t make it home until the sun was coming up. Tony phoned Peter’s school to explain the situation, which seemed rather gratuitous considering it was all over the news. They gave Peter a week’s leave to recover from the events.

They both fell asleep in on the couch, both too exhausted to get into their pyjamas or climb the stairs. Tony thought, after the evening’s events, he would struggle to get to sleep, he was in a lifelong battle with his insomnia, but with Peter’s head tucked on his chest, he was able to drift away into a peaceful sleep.  
  
The day before Peter had to return to school, he decided they should bake a cake together, a ‘ _late birthday cake_ ’ he had called it as he pulled ingredients out of the cupboards. Tony had then called it ‘ _a well done for not dying this year cake_ ’ which, in reality, was just a dark way to say ‘ _birthday cake_.’   
  
“Peter, stop eating the chocolate.” Tony snapped jokingly, he nudged Peter’s hand away from the bowl, “We need some for the cake.”  
  
“But it’s nice.”  
  
Tony looked at him and broke down into a fit of hysterics; Peter’s face was coated in a layer of melted chocolate which had started to dry around his mouth, “I’m going to get some wet-wipes before we carry on.”   
  
“I’ll keep stirring!” Peter grabbed the wooden spoon off Tony and jumped onto his stool.   
  
“Don’t eat anymore, Jarvis is watching you,” Tony said, walking out of the kitchen.   
  
Peter hummed a melody as he stirred around the mixture, he stopped when he heard the window behind him creak open. He jumped down from his stool and turned around to see Natasha silently clamber in, dressed in her catsuit, “Hey Nat!”  
  
“Hello, Peter.” Natasha smiled, “Are you making a cake or becoming a cake?”  
  
“Making.” Peter told her, “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Thought I’d come and say goodbye.” She said, walking over, she leaned on the counter, “Well done.”  
  
Peter’s forehead creased in confusion, “What for?”  
  
“You helped save the day.”   
  
“Are you joking!?” Peter exclaimed jumping up on his stool, “You’re the one who beat up all those people, and saved Rhodey’s suit! You’re so awesome!”  
  
Natasha grinned, “Thank you, Peter.”  
  
Peter’s smile faded, and he kept stirring the mix, “So...are you ever coming back?”   
  
“Do you want me too?”  
  
“Yeah!” Peter said quickly.  
  
“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again one day.” She reassured him, “But my mission is over.”  
  
“So, no more Natalie?”  
  
Natasha snorted, “No more Natalie...for now.”  
  
“Oh, okay.” Peter sighed, “Do you have a superhero name? Like how dad is Iron Man.”  
  
“I guess it’s _Black Widow._ ” She told him, his eyes widened at the sound of it, “Do you like it?”  
  
“I love it.” Peter’s eyes glistened, “Do you have another mission?”  
  
She nodded, “I have a few.”   
  
“But they’re secret,” Peter uttered.  
  
Natasha placed a finger to her lips, “Top secret.”   
  
“I can’t believe you broke in,” Tony said, walking in, though he didn’t sound surprised in the lastest.   
  
“I came to see Peter.”   
  
“Yeah, he has that effect on people,” Tony said heading over, he took out a wipe  and placed it over Peter’s face, his son frailed his hands around trying to escape, “He is so loveable, I literally think it’s impossible not to like him.”  
  
“Dad.” Peter groaned, pushing his arms away.  
  
“It’s true though bud,” Tony said, throwing the wipe into the bin.   
  
“I better go,” Natasha said, Peter sighed in disappointment; she nudged his chin, “I’ve got superhero things to do.”  
  
“Okay!” Peter scrambled away from his stool and locked his arms around her waist, “Thank you.” Tony’s eyes widened at the sight of the startled Natasha, but she settled into the embrace and wrapped an arm around Peter’s back.   
  
“No problem,” Natasha said, patting his back, “I’ll see you two around.”  
  
“You can leave through the front door.” Tony told her, “No need to scale the building.”  
  
“Thank you.” Natasha turned on her heel and walked out of the room.  
  
“I’ll be back in a second bud.” Tony hurried after her, “Wait, I have to ask. Tony Stark, not recommended?” Her forehead creased, “For the Avengers Initiative.”  
  
“Oh.” Natasha said, “You want to know why I turned you down.”  
  
Tony raised his eyebrows and clapped his hands together, “Yeah.”  
  
“I didn’t do it because I hate you or anything.” Natasha told him, “I just, I was saving you.”  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes, “I don’t--”  
  
“Peter.” Natasha said softly, “You obviously love being his father more than being Iron Man. You gave up a suit because he told you too.” She smiled warmly, “I know people like you, agents who have children, and still risk their lives every day. And it’s not fun to watch. Sometimes they don’t make it home, and I have to watch their families fall apart.”  
  
Tony dropped his comedic facade and turned back to look at Peter, who was stirring the mix, “Yeah.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned back to her, “Thank you.”  
  
“It was nothing.” She said, “Just my job. But, I won’t be able to stop them if they ever call for you.”   
  
“I guess I’ll have to deal with that when it comes.” Tony said, “See you around, Agent Romanoff.”  
  
“Goodbye, Mr. Stark.” Natasha turned on her heel and started to walk away.  
  
Peter darted away to the doorway, “Bye _Auntie_ Nat!”   
  
Natasha giggled as she skipped away, “Bye, Peter!”  
  
Tony waited until she disappeared around the corner before turning to look at Peter, “ _Auntie_ Nat!?”   
  
“What?!” Peter squealed as he held his hands out, and shrugged, “All my friends have a cool aunt, and she’s so awesome!”  
  
Tony snorted as he shook his head and nodded, “Yeah, I guess she is.” He pushed Peter back into the kitchen, “I’m still your favourite hero, right?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter sang as he jogged back to the bowl.  
  
“Good.” Tony said, “Come on; let’s get his cooked before Pepper gets here for dinner.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It really means a lot to me that you've got this far! This marks the end of Iron Man 2.
> 
> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	45. Everything Changes (Avengers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's an fun fact, I'm from the UK, and over here, this film was called 'Avengers Assemble.'

**TWO YEARS LATER**  


Every time Peter stepped inside the almost completed _Stark Tower_ , he was amazed by something new that he hadn’t noticed before. For two years, he helped Tony and Pepper where he could, and watched with curiosity where he couldn’t. The tower was set to be the first skyscraper to run on environmentally friendly sustainable energy, so of course, the world was talking about it.   
  
“This is so awesome.” Peter had his face pressed up against the window, which overlooked New York city.  
  
Pepper chuckled lightly; she was stood by the desk in the far corner, overseeing Tony’s progress. She didn’t wholly understand what Tony had to do; neither did Peter; they were standing by, waiting to hit the switch.  
  
“It is amazing.” Pepper agreed, “Come over here, sweetie, you’re not going to want to miss this.”  
  
“Coming!” Peter slowly manoeuvred around the furniture. The lights were dimmed as the room was running solely on a generator as they waited for Tony to complete the circuit. Peter was trying his best not to trip over _again_. He stood next to Pepper as he bounced back and forth, waiting for the ‘go ahead’ from Tony.   
  
“ _You're good to go on this end_.” Tony’s voice echoed through the intercom; Peter jumped up in celebration, “ _The rest is up to you both_.”  
  
“You disconnected the transition lines?” Pepper asked, “Are we off the grid?”  
  
“ _Stark Towers is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy_.” Tony proclaimed proudly.   
  
“Well assuming the arc reactor takes over and actually works,” Pepper said, a clear sense of mistrust present in her tone. This wasn’t their first rodeo; they’d had a few embarrassing false starts.  
  
“ _I assume._ ” Tony hummed, “ _Okay, bud, light her up_.”   
  
Peter jumped up and pressed down on the button, the room they were in suddenly burst into life, “Wow.” Peter spun on the spot; he stopped to watch the projection of the tower in front of them, light up.   
  
“How does it look?” Pepper asked Tony.  
  
“ _Like Christmas_ ,” He told them, “ _But with more._.. _me_.”  
  
“You gotta go wider on the public awareness campaign.” Pepper told him, “You need to do some press. I’m in DC tomorrow; I’m working on the zoning for the next three buildings.”  
  
“ _Pepper, you’re killing me._ ” Tony said, cutting her off, “ _Remember? Enjoy the moment._ ”  
  
“Well get in here and I will.” Pepper teased.   
  
“Ewww,” Peter playfully nudged her side, while sticking out his tongue and making an exaggerated disgusted noise.   
  
He charged back over to the window to watch as the bots freed Tony from the armour. His dad stepped down, heading towards the door. Peter darted from where he was stood, and slid over just as Tony skipped through the door, “Hey bud!” He held his hand down, and Peter jumped up, high-fiving him, “Do you like it?”  
  
“I love it!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
“So do I.” Tony grinned, he paced over to where Pepper was stood.  
  
Pepper bit down on her lip as she scanned the hologram, “Levels are holding steady...I think.”  
  
Peter jumped over the room, and leapt down onto the couch; Tony walked to Pepper, “Of course they are. I was directly involved, which brings me to my next question. How does it feel to be a genius?”  
  
Tony leaned over and turned off the computer; Pepper turned, “Well, ha. I really wouldn't know now, would I?”  
  
“What do you mean?” Tony asked, “All this,” He gestured his hand in a circle, “..came from you.”  
  
“No.” Pepper shook her head, “All this,” She placed her finger down on the arc reactor, “Came from that.”  
  
“Give yourself some credit, please.” He placed his hands on her upper arms, “Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself, twelve percent of the credit.”  
  
Peter cupped a hand over his mouth, trying his best to suppress his laughter, he bit down on his lip as he watched Pepper’s face fall. She wasn’t going to let go of this anytime soon.   
  
Her eyebrows raised, “Twelve percent?”  
  
“An argument can be made for fifteen,” Tony said, trying his best to fix his mistake.   
  
Pepper walked away, tutting under her breath as she headed over to where Peter was sat, “Twelve percent for my baby?”  
  
“Well, I did do all the heavy lifting.” Tony said defensively as he followed behind, “Literally, I lifted the heavy things.”  
  
“Actually, the suit did.” Peter pointed out; Pepper snorted as she knelt on the floor next to where Peter was sat, “Just saying.”   
  
Tony stopped dead in his tracks, shaking his head, “Thanks a lot, bud.” He pointed over at Pepper, “The security snafu? That was on you.” She poured out two glasses of champagne and passed Peter a bottle of diet soda, “My private elevator.”  
  
Pepper narrowed her eyes and gestured to Peter, “You mean our elevator?”  
  
“It was teeming with sweaty workmen,” Tony complained, he sighed before sitting down in front of her, “I'm going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way, later on, aren't I?”  
  
Pepper titled her head into her shoulder while squinted her eyes, “Not gonna be that subtle.”  
  
Peter let out a sound of disapproval; it was easy to tell that he’d suffered two years of their constant flirting. He held out his feet and lightly kicked both their shoulders. Tony bounced his eyebrows up and down, Pepper nodded. Peter watched them, curious about what they were up too. Before he knew it, they both tucked him off the couch while giggling.  
  
“Young man,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair, “You should have no idea what we're talking about.”  
  
“I don’t!” Peter exclaimed, “You’re both so _icky_.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “Icky?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Okay bud... I guess we’re _icky_.” She turned back to Pepper, who was chuckling to herself,  “So, I think, the next building is gonna say ‘ _Potts_.’”   
  
“On the lease,” Pepper said.  
  
“Call your mum, can you bunk over?” Tony asked, shifting away from Peter, knowing his ‘ _ickiness_ ’ might lead to Peter kicking him again.   
  
Peter’s reaction was cut off by sharp buzz, “ _Sir, the telephone. I'm afraid my protocols are being_ _overwritten_.” Jarvis said, confused.  
  
Tony’s phone which was laid down on the coffee table flickered into life, “ _Mr. Stark, we need to talk_ ,” Agent Coulson’s familiar voice said.  
  
Tony let out an exaggerated sigh before scrambling for his phone, he held it up in front of his face, “You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message.”   
  
Pepper looked over to Peter, and they both doubled over while giggling amongst themselves.  
  
“ _This is urgent_.” Coulson persisted.   
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Then leave it, urgently.”  
  
The lift doors sprung open revealing Coulson, stood with his phone held to his ear, and a tablet held weighed underneath his left arm.  
  
“Security breach!” Tony exclaimed, he narrowed his eyes over to Pepper, “That's on you.”  
  
Coulson placed his phone in his pocket, “Mr Stark.”  
  
“Phil!” Pepper greeted happily, “Come in.”  
  
“Phil?” Tony frowned, he darted his eyes over to Peter, and tilted his head into his shoulder as Pepper jumped up onto her feet to greet Coulson, “Who’s Phil?” Peter held up his arms and shrugged as if to say ‘ _I don’t know_.’  
  
“I can’t stay,” Coulson said.  
  
“Wait, uh,” Tony hurried after Peter, “..his first name is Agent.”  
  
“Come on in; we're celebrating,” Pepper said, gesturing to the room.  
  
“Which is why he can’t stay,” Tony whispered, putting on his best press smile as he reached Pepper’s side.  
  
Peter bounced up, “Hi, Mr. Coulson.”  
  
“Hello, Peter.” Coulson said quickly, before looking back up to Tony, “I need you to look this over.” He held out the tablet, “Soon as possible.”  
  
Tony cringed, “I don't like being handed things--”  
  
“That’s fine.” Pepper said, cutting him off, she took hold of the tablet, and handed her glass to Coulson, “Cause I love to be handed things. So, let's trade.” She snatched the glass from Tony’s hand and placed the tablet in his hands before he could even argue, “Thank you.”  
  
“Official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday.” Tony joked.  
  
“This isn't a consultation,” Coulson said, obviously not up to competing with Tony’s comedic whims like he used too.   
  
“Is this about The Avengers?” Peter asked innocently.  
  
“Which we...we know nothing about,” Pepper added.  
  
Tony backed away, “The Avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought.” His face creased, “And I didn't even qualify.”  
  
“We didn't know that either,” Pepper said.  
  
“Yeah, apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others.” _Unless your name is Peter._  
  
Pepper looked over to Peter, “That we did know.”  
  
“This isn't about personality profiles anymore.” Coulson cut in.  
  
“Whatever.” Tony spun on his spot and tapped away on the tablet, “Miss Potts, got a sec?”  
  
She held up one finger, “One second.” She turned, “Peter, keep him company.” She darted over to Tony, and they both spoke quietly among themselves.   
  
“Mr. Coulson.” Peter stepped over, “Can I ask you a question?”  
  
“Sure.”   
  
“How’s auntie Nat?” Peter darted his eyes to the ground as he fidgeted his fingers.  
  
Coulson’s eyebrows knitted together, “Auntie Nat?”  
  
Peter hummed under his breath, “Black Widow.”  
  
“Oh.” Coulson said unsurely, “She’s okay.”   
  
Peter smiled, “Good.”  
  
“What is all this?” Pepper’s voice suddenly raised and caught Peter’s attention.  
  
Peter turned to look, “This is uh…”  Tony expanded his hand on the screen; multiple holograms expanded around the room, displaying information. Mainly profiles on candidates for the Initiative. Some they already knew like _Black Widow_ , and those they had heard about _, Captain America, Thor_ and _the Hulk._ “This.”  
  
Peter jogged over, hoping to get a better look. He had been speaking non-stop about Thor for almost two years; he was a fanboy at heart. Tony clapped his hands together, instantly closing the profiles down. The footage was _PG-13_ at best and was not something he wanted Peter to see.  
  
“Dad!” Peter whined, stopping in his tracks.  
  
Tony sighed, “Maybe when you’re older bud.”  
  
“Not likely.” Pepper mumbled under her breath, “I'm going to take the jet to D.C. tonight.”  
  
Tony shook his head, “Tomorrow.”   
  
“You have homework.” Pepper gestured to the tablet, “You have a lot of homework.”  
  
“Well, what if I didn't?” Tony asked, his gaze dotting over to Peter for a second.  
  
“If you didn't?” Pepper asked playfully, “You mean when you finished?” She leaned forward, “Um, well, then..” She whispered into his ear, Tony’s eyes widened.  
  
Peter bent his head back as he uttered the word ‘icky’ under his breath.   
  
“Square deal.” Tony said,  “It's the last date.”   
  
Pepper leaned in, kissing him, she pulled away, “Work hard.” She told him, “I will contact Meredith and see if she can take in Peter for a bit.”  
  
Tony nodded, “Yeah.”   
  
“I don’t wanna go.” Peter groaned, “Why can’t I stay here?”  
  
“I’ve got this job, bud.” Tony pointed out, “And I can’t leave you on your own.”  
  
“I could go with you,” Peter suggested.  
  
“You’ve got school.” Tony walked forward, wrapping an arm around him, “I’ve got work, and after this is done, I’ll be all yours.”  
  
“Promise?”   
  
Tony ruffled his hair, “Yeah.” 


	46. Don't Let This Be Goodbye

Peter was woken by a soft grasp shaking his shoulder; Tony was hovering over him, already dressed. Peter noticed quickly that it was still dark outside, as no sunlight was beaming through the gap in his blinds, “Sorry, bud, we’ve got to go.”   
  
“What time is it?” Peter yawned, bringing his hands up to rub his eyes.  
  
“Just gone past five.” Tony told him, “I know it’s early, but I need to head off, and I can’t leave you here on your own.”  
  
“Okay,” Peter muttered sleepily.  
  
Tony gently pulled Peter up into a sitting position; his son kept rapidly blinking his eyes as he tried to wake himself up. Peter had never been a morning person, apart from on his birthday and Christmas, Tony was dreading his teenage years. Tony knelt and placed Peter’s sneakers onto his feet. He then grabbed Peter’s Iron Man hoodie off the floor and guided it over Peter’s head.  
  
“Bud, I’m gonna need you to help me with your arms here.” Tony chuckled, Peter held his arms up, and Tony pulled the sleeves over them.   
  
“Where am I going?”    
  
“Meredith’s house.” Tony told him, “Just for a couple of days. Hopefully, I’ll be done before the weekend.”  
  
“Um, okay.”  
  
“Happy’s gonna drop you off, he’s  waiting downstairs.”   
  
Peter’s eyes widened, and suddenly his fatigue seemed to disappear in an instant, “Are you going now?”  
  
“Yeah kid, I have to.” Tony said, “This is….fairly important.” He couldn’t exactly explain to Peter, that he needed to assist SHIELD capture the  _literal_  god of mischief because, to be frank, he had no idea how to explain it to himself.  
  
“Are you gonna save people again?”  
  
Tony chuckled, and nodded, “I guess….I’m gonna try.”  
  
“Because you’re Iron Man.”   
  
Tony’s half-smile dropped, and he sniffled, “Yeah kiddo, I’m Iron Man.” He held out his hand, “Come on, then, sunshine.”  
  
Peter grasped onto his hand and jumped down from the bed, “Did you get all my school stuff?”  
  
“Yeah, it’s already in the car. And so are your clothes.” Tony reassured him, “We’re all set to go. You’re going have breakfast at Meredith’s before school, Henry will drop you off and pick you up.”  
  
“Got it,” Peter said, they both walked out his room and headed around to the elevator.  
  
Tony pressed the button and looked down at Peter, “I will try and phone you tonight.”   
  
Peter nodded while clinging tighter onto Tony’s hand. His silent compliance broke Tony.  
  
Back during the whole Stark Expo fiasco, Peter used to scream and shout mercilessly to stop Tony from putting his life on the line. Peter had only been eight, and he hadn’t understood the risks Tony took. Two years on, and he was letting Tony go, because he was growing up, and he was starting to understand the world needed Iron Man.   
  
It would take him a few more years before he realised that the world probably didn’t deserve Iron Man.   
  
Tony, selfishly, but rightly so, wanted Peter to tell him not to go. He wanted his son to put up a fuss, to scream and cry, to stand his ground and say ‘ _no_.’ If Peter put a fight, then Tony would probably stop, hang up the suit, and send his sincerest apologies straight to SHIELD.   
  
At the back of his mind though, Tony knew he had to go. He also knew that Peter understood that he had to go as well. Tony could never stand by and watch innocent people suffer when he could do something about it. That’s why he became Iron Man in the first place.  
  
Natasha’s reasoning behind turning Tony down for the team echoed in his head.   
  
_I was saving you._  
  
He had understood her words the day she uttered them, and he had been thankful for her brutal truth. Though now, they painfully made more sense.  
  
_I know people like you, agents who have children, and still risk their lives every day. And it’s not fun to watch._  
  
“Dad, come on.” Peter tugged on his hand, Tony snapped about it and realised the elevator had arrived, they stepped in. They didn’t even need to say the floor, Jarvis closed the doors, and it began to descend, “Are you okay?”  
  
“Yeah bud, I’m good.” He lied, “I was just thinking.”  
  
“About what?”  
  
“Something…” Tony trailed off, “Something Nat said to me.”  
  
Peter’s eyes lit up at the mention of Natasha, “Are you going to see her?”  
  
“Probably.”  
  
Peter’s shoulder slumped, and he pouted, “Lucky.”   
  
Tony snickered as he shook his head, “Do you want me to tell her anything?”  
  
“Just that I miss her, I guess.” Peter shrugged.  
  
“Okay, I’ll tell her.”   
  
“Thank you.” Peter uttered, “Can you ask her to come for dinner?”  
  
“Um,” Tony tried to imagine inviting Black Widow over for dinner, it seemed pretty domestic. Every time they had seen her since the battle at the Stark Expo had never been preplanned, well not on their end anyway. She would randomly turn up, say hello, and then rush back to her chaotic day job.  
  
Tony’s personal favourite was when they were in  _Chuck E Cheese_  for Ned’s tenth birthday, and he had watched Natasha rise out of a ball pit, and have a quick catch up with Peter before rushing away.   
  
“I’ll ask her,” Tony said, his heart melted at the sight of Peter’s ear-to-ear grin.  
  
“Thank you.” Peter smiled, leaning his head into Tony’s side.   
  
Tony wrapped an arm around him, “No problem, bud.”  
  
The elevator doors opened into the empty lobby; Happy was stood by the welcome desk, “Morning Happy!” Peter jumped out, and waved, almost too enthusiastically for such an early hour.  
  
“Morning kid.” Happy said, trying his best to fight the apparent tiredness in his voice.  
  
Tony tapped Peter’s shoulder, “I better get going.”  
  
Peter’s exuberance disappeared in an instant, and he charged into Tony’s side, locking his arms protectively around his middle. Tony closed his eyes as his walls caved in, he dragged his teeth over his shaking bottom lip.  
  
“Hey, bud,” Tony said, faking his usual confidence; he got down on his knees and guided Peter into a proper hug. His son nuzzled his face in his shoulder, as Tony held onto him, with all the strength he had. They had hugged goodbye thousands of times, they did before school or a reconnaissance missions Tony went on with Rhodey.   
  
This time it was different. Tony couldn’t exactly explain why, but he knew it was. Natasha’s words continued to echo in his head.   
  
_Sometimes they don’t make it home, and I have to watch their families fall apart._  
  
Tony sniffled and leaned back to place a kiss on Peter’s forehead. He had to let go, or he never would. “Okay kiddo, I’ve gotta go.”  
  
“Um hm,” Peter mumbled, he bent backwards leaning into Tony’s grasp, “You have listen to everyone on the team so that you can work well together.”   
  
Tony chuckled, “Are you teaching me about teamwork?”  
  
“Pepper said you’re not a _team player_.”  
  
“Oh she did, did she?” Tony rolled his eyes, “I will try my best to be.”  
  
“Good.” Peter smiled, “See you soon, Dad.”  
  
“Yeah.”  _Please, don’t let this be goodbye,_ “Love you.”  
  
“To the moon and back.” Peter chorused before jogging over to Happy.


	47. Last Night Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When planning how I'd write the Avengers, I decided quickly that it would be from Peter's view, and I think shows the events of the Battle of New York from an interesting point of view.

Peter usually adored spending time with his childminder. He had his own bedroom in her house. Meredith was a link to his past; she had been his babysitter since he was newborn. She had been the one looking after him the night Peter lose his birth family; she had only been seventeen at the time. Tony made sure she remained Peter’s primary babysitter; if the Parkers trusted her, he did too.   
  
Peter loved her; she would often tell him stories about his birth parents, and he’d listen to every detail with intent.  
  
But while Tony was out fighting a battle that Peter didn’t want him to be a part of, he hid away in his bedroom, instead of pestering Meredith with a-million-and-one random questions.   
  
He was sat at his desk, completing his math homework, when his door clicked open, “Peter, do you want any supper?” Meredith asked, hovering in the doorframe.   
  
“Um,” Peter placed his pencil down, and twirled around in his car, “No, thank you, Emmi.”  
  
Meredith studied him for a second before stepping in, “Are you okay, honey?” She asked, “You worried about your dad?”  
  
Peter shrugged. “A bit.”  
  
“That’s okay.” She reassured him, “I bet it’s really scary, but he’s Iron Man, right? He’ll be just fine.”  
  
“I guess,” Peter said unsurely, he darted his eyes down to the floor, “It can be...scary.”  
  
“Oh, Peter.” Her face softened, and she offered him a warm smile, “Do you want me to phone Pepper for you?”   
  
“No.” Peter picked up and held out his Starkphone, “I texted her.”  
  
“Oh, good.”  
  
Peter placed his phone down and then proceeded to stretch his arms above his head, “I think I’m gonna go to bed.”  
  
“Have you finished all your homework?”  
  
“Yep, all done!”   
  
“All right honey.” She said softly, “Do you me to read you a bedtime story?”  
  
Peter shook his head, “No, thank you. I think I’m just gonna go to sleep.”  
  
“Okay.” She backed away, towards the door, “Don’t forget to brush your teeth,” She reminded him as she clicked it open.  
  
“I won’t.”  
  
“Sleep well,” She sung as she stepped out.   
  
“You too!” He exclaimed as she clipped the door shut.  
  
Peter changed into his _Transformers_ pyjamas and brushed his teeth. He kept his phone with him, just in case Tony got around to calling. Nervousness settled in the pit of his stomach when time kept ticking away, and he hadn’t even received a text message from him.   
  
He tucked himself under his covers and tried to shift the invisible weight off his chest. He turned to turn off the lamp and try his best to fall asleep; his phone finally rang. He couldn’t help but squeal with happiness and relief.   
  
“Hey, Dad!” He shouted joyfully, perhaps a little too loud.   
  
“ _Hi, bud._ ” Tony greeted, “ _Sorry, it’s a little late_.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, “I don't care.”  
  
Tony hummed. “ _So, how was school_?”  
  
Peter sat upright in bed, bubbling with excitement, “Miss. Blore gave me some Grade Seven questions!”  
  
“ _Peter, that is amazing_!” Tony exclaimed, “ _I’m so proud of you, bud.”_  
__  
“They were actually easy.”  
  
“ _Yeah_?” Tony snorted with evident pride.  
  
“Yeah, I liked ‘em.”   
  
“ _You love science, don’t you bud_?”   
  
“Yep. It’s really run.”  
  
“ _I’m working with Dr. Bruce Banner. I think you’d two would get along.”_  
  
“Bruce Banner?” Peter asked, his interest peaked, “Our teacher spoke about him. He’s really clever!”  
  
“ _Super clever_.”   
  
“And…” Peter quieted his voice, “Isn’t he...the Hulk too?”  
  
“ _Yeah, he is_.” Tony hushed, “ _But that’s top secret._ ”  
  
“I know…” Peter trailed off, “Where are you?”  
  
“ _Um, I am somewhere over Germany I think_ ,” Tony said unsurely.  
  
“Over Germany?” Peter asked, curious, “Are you on a plane?”  
  
“ _No._ ” Tony said, “ _They call it a Helicarrier. It's huge. It's like Stark labs but in the sky_.”  
  
“That is so cool!”  
  
“ _But, shush_ ,” Tony said hushed, “ _It's another secret_.”  
  
“I won’t tell anyone.”   
  
“ _I know you won’t_.” Tony said, “ _To be honest, I am not actually allowed to talk to you while I’m here. But, after I told Nat I promised you, she just shoved me in a cupboard and told me to make sure I kept quiet._ ”   
  
Peter giggled, “Sounds like her. “  
  
“Yeah, she hasn't changed,” Tony sighed, “She said yes to coming over for dinner, though.”  
  
Peter jumped up, “Yay!”   
  
“That will be...interesting.” Tony said, “So, did you hear about what happened today?”  
  
“I saw it on the news.” Peter said, “You already got the bad guy!”   
  
“ _Yeah, we did_.” Tony said, “ _And we performed Shakespeare in the park all in one night_.”   
  
Peter’s forehead creased in confusion as he listened to his dad, chuckle to himself, “What's Captain America like?”  
  
“Like every old man.” Tony told him, “ _He is desperate need of a  mid-afternoon nap. Do you want to know something cool?_ ”  
  
“Yeah!”  
  
Tony froze for a second, “I met Thor.”  
  
“What?!” Peter bolted off the bed, “That’s awesome! What's he like?”  
  
“He hit me with his hammer.”  
  
Peter laughed as he climbed on his bed and started jumping, “Awesome.”  
  
“ _Awesome_?” Tony said, “ _That’s not how I’d put it but okay._ ” He stopped for a second, “ _Peter, are you jumping on the bed_?”  
  
Peter kept jumping, “No.”  
  
“ _I thought we had a no jumping rule since you broke your wrist last year_.”  
  
Peter jumped down into a sitting position, “I’m not jumping.”   
  
“ _Yeah...right,_ ” Tony sighed.  
  
“So,” Peter trailed off, “You actually met Thor?”  
  
Tony snickered, “ _Yeah, I actually met Thor_.”  
  
“Wow.” Peter flung his head back as he laughed, “That’s so cool.”  
  
“ _But I'm still your favourite right_?”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, “Of course.”  
  
“ _Good_.” Tony said, “ _I thin--_ ” A sharp knock echoed through the receiver, cutting Tony off, an inaudible mumble followed the knock, “ _I’ll be out in a second!_ ” He called, “ _Sorry, Pete, looks like I've gotta go now.”_  
  
“Oh, okay.” Peter said, “I'm gonna go to bed now.”  
  
“Goodnight bud.”  
  
“Night, Dad.” Peter moved the phone down and hung up.   



	48. Responsibility

Peter woke suddenly with one continuous thought echoing inside his head. For once, it wasn’t about _Iron Man_ and the fight his dad in. It was a simple everyday thing that normal children his age worried about.   
  
_Homework._  
  
More specifically, his art project.   
  
He had completely forgotten about during the chaos. He had been given a month to draw about his dream job; he had worked tirelessly on a painting of him, and Tony, in one of the Stark labs. He was very proud of it.   
  
He jumped out of bed and started to unzip all his luggage. He tossed his clothes and belongings over his shoulder as he tried to find it, he prayed that Tony had remembered to pack it for him. His chin dipped to his chest when he got to his last bag, and it wasn’t there.  
  
“Oh, no.” He winced, he laid his face in his hands.   
  
Peter had never forgotten homework, not even _once_.  
  
He dotted his eyes over to his alarm clock. It was only six. He didn’t have to be up for another hour, and his driver, Henry, wouldn’t arrive until eight. Peter knew exactly where his artwork was; it was on the desk in Tony’s office in the tower. He remembered showing it to him and then leaving it behind. He still had time to collect it before school began.  
  
He shot up and quickly changed into a pair of black jeans, and a short-sleeved white _Star Wars_ shirt. He darted out of his bedroom to use the bathroom and clean his teeth.   
  
When he was done, he hovered outside Meredith’s bedroom door and thought about waking her up. He held up his hand, but retracted it and stepped away into the kitchen.  
  
He felt terrible. It was his fault that he left his work behind, not hers. It wasn’t Meredith’s responsibility. It was his.   
  
Meredith’s flat was only three blocks away from the tower; Peter had walked the distance many times. However, he’d only done it once on his own before, and even then, he’d been on the phone to Tony the entire time. [ _He was pretty sure Happy was following him too._ ]  
  
Peter started to put his shoes on; he knew he could do this on his own; he could get his homework and he’d probably be back before Meredith even woke up. He would _definitely_ be back before Henry arrived.  
  
He found a piece of a paper and quickly scribbled a note for Meredith;  ‘ _I had to get my art homework from the tower_.’  
  
He left the note on the kitchen counter before rushing out of the front door; he hurried down towards the elevator.  
  
He was outside within a few minutes.  It was only half six but, it was New York, so the sidewalks and roads were already buzzing with life. Peter stuck close to the buildings as he hurried down the street towards Stark Tower; it would be impossible to get lost. The Tower stood out, and he could already see it.  
  
He was lucky that the commuters around him were preoccupied with their phones, Starbucks, and their probable lack of sleep. If anyone was actually paying attention, the sight of _Iron Man’s_ son rushing through the streets, alone, at such an early hour, would probably raise some questions.   
  
Peter was outside the tower, in record time. He scanned his hand and unlocked the sliding doors.   
  
The tower was empty. It was almost eerie.   
  
Peter stopped for a second, dotting his eyes around the lobby.   
  
“Hello!” He called. His echo welcomed him.   
  
He’d expected at least a few security personnel to be stationed around; Happy was in charge of security for the tower, and he was known for being a stickler for safety. _It was his thing._  
  
Peter made sure the tower doors had locked themselves behind him before shrugging off his worries and heading over to the elevator. He jumped in and pressed the floor.  
  
“Hey, Jay, are you working?” Peter asked as the lift started to go up. Jarvis wasn’t properly downloaded into the tower yet, and his functions were merely running through a prototype, “Jarvis _?_ ” Peter tried again, but to no prevail,  “Ugh, okay.”   
  
As soon as the doors slid open, Peter’s hair stood up on edge.   
  
He heard a strange gravelly voice echo from around the corner, he hurried over to the wall in front of him and leaned his back against it. He cupped his hand over his mouth and nose, trying to mask his heavy, laboured breaths.   
  
[This wasn’t his first rodeo, and unfortunately, it probably wouldn’t be his last. He was the son of an esteemed billionaire superhero; he had been taught how to hide away from potential threats.]   
  
He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to calm down his breathing. He sidestepped over and peered around the corner to try and catch a glimpse of who was talking.  
  
There was a man, or if Peter’s prediction was correct, a Norse God was pacing around in his living room; he had long matted black hair, and he was dressed head-to-toe in black and green robes.   
  
Peter recognised him instantly from the news reports of his attack in Germany, which his dad and Captain America had been a part of. Peter, a self-proclaimed fanboy of Thor, knew many facts about Norse Mythology, and the figure in his living room appeared to reassemble Loki.   
  
An invisible weight dropped on his chest as he tried to think of all the reasons why Loki was inside Stark Tower. He knew his dad, and Captain America had caught him in Germany.   
  
_Was his dad okay?_  
  
Peter had to stop worrying about Tony for a second, as Loki turned on his heel and started moving toward him.   
  
Peter darted down the corridor, being as quiet on his feet as he could be. He clicked open the nearest door, which happened to be Tony and Pepper’s room. He rushed in and closed the door swiftly behind him.  
  
He leaned into it as he let out a panicked breath.   
  
He moved his shaking hand into his pocket, rummaging for his phone. His knees wobbled underneath him, and he slipped down into a sitting position when he realised it wasn’t there. It must have fallen out as he was running down the corridor.  
  
He lay his face into his hands as he whimpered.   
  
_He wanted his dad._ He needed Tony to be there, to pull him up out of the dark, like he always had.   
  
But Peter didn’t even know where Tony was.   
  
And wherever Tony was, he thought that Peter was _safe_ with Meredith. 


	49. Fight or Flight

Peter didn’t realise he was crying. Not until his throat started to ache. He had locked his arms around his folded knees, and his chin was rested onto them, as he leaned his weight up against the bedroom door. He swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped his hand over his eyes.   
  
He knew he had to stay as quiet as he could.   
  
An everyday ten-year-old would be screaming and crying to be found.   
  
_To be saved._  
  
And they would be beyond terrified. _Peter was_. Just not in the way you’d expect. He was scared for Tony. He just wanted to know his dad was okay.  
  
He didn’t know how long he’d been there. He had been startled a few times by unexpected noises coming from the floor above him. It started with raised muffled voices; they were followed by the bone-chilling sound of multiple windows smashing. Peter couldn’t make sense of mummers. No matter how hard he tried.   
  
He just pressed his hands over his ears and tried to shield himself away.  
  
He didn’t move, not until an alien noise echoed from outside the bedroom window, it joined by a bright light that shined through into the room.   
  
Peter jumped up onto his feet and charged over to the window; he rested his forehead on the glass, trying to catch a glimpse at where the light was coming from.   
  
His jaw hit the ground as soon as he saw it, and his heart sank to his shoes.  
  
There was a gaping, empty black hole open in the sky. It was surrounded by shimmering neon blue light. If Peter weren’t so terrified, he would have thought it was awesome. 

“Wow.” He managed to cough out. It was the only word that he could muster to explain the spectacle playing out in front of him. 

He yelped and jolted back away from the window. His eyes widened though they stayed transfixed on the wormhole, as creatures started to emerge screeching as they began to their attack on the city below.   
  
The aliens ranged in size and appearance. Some were humanoid in shape, but that was the only similarity they shared.   
  
Peter couldn’t tear his eyes away. He just kept watching as they poured into the city.   
  
His fear vanished for a second, and he let out a shaky laugh as he caught sight of Tony, zooming around in his Iron Man armour. He was _alive_ , and he was fighting back.  
  
“Dad,” Peter uttered under his breath.   
  
Peter jumped down onto the floor as the aliens started to fly down, edging closer to the window Peter was staring out of. He quickly scrambled back on all fours until his back hit the wall, he shuffled over, making sure he wouldn’t be visible through the window.  
  
His body slumped as he curled into the corner; a slow smile spread across his face, as he blinked away tears. He was still scared, but he was just glad he’d seen his dad.  
  
Tony was _okay_. Aside from having to take on an alien invasion.  
  
Peter rested his face between his knees and scrunched his eyes shut. His happiness was short-lived. He listened to the heart-wrenching screaming of the people below him, running for their lives. Their cries for help were joined by the blood-curdling screeches the invaders made.  
  
He wasn’t sure how long he listened and waited.   
  
He was quick on his feet, when the window in front of him, and the other on the far left of them bedroom began to rattle. He hurried over to the door, and bent down, shielding his head. He was just in time. The windows shattered, the glass fell over the room, narrowing missing Peter.   
  
He stood up, on his shaking legs; he pulled the door open and hurried out.   
  
He was no longer safe.   
   
Peter’s mind, innocently, turned to his father. He quietly darted to staircase doors and hurried down. It was almost at the top of the tower, so he knew it would be a long journey down.   
  
Even when his lungs started screaming at him, he kept running, like his life depended on it. (Knowing his day-to-day life, it probably did.)  
  
The tower was ground zero. Peter didn’t feel safe there anymore. As soon as the glass had shattered, he just wanted to run. It was all he could think of.   
  
The streets weren’t any safer, but that’s where his heart was leading him. He desperately wanted to catch another glimpse of Tony; he wanted to know he was okay.  
  
As he made it to the bottom, he leaned his hand on the wall to catch his breath, before heading out into the lobby. He slid across the floor, and scanned his hand, unlocking the main door, he burst out onto the streets.  
  
To his surprise, the streets were desolate. There wasn’t anybody or anything in sight.   
  
The street wasn’t only empty; it was unrecognisable. The road and sidewalk were just piles of rubble; it was impossible for Peter to distinguish between which had been which. Vehicles such as cars and buses were all laid on their sides, destroyed by the invasion.  
  
Peter felt like a stranger in his home city.   
  
Or, in better terms, the city no longer felt like home.   
  
He ducked for cover when an inhuman shriek came from nearby. He knelt behind an overturned car and looked through the gap as a group of invaders charged away in the opposite direction.   
  
He was distracted by the sight of them, and the sound of laboured breathes that he didn’t hear the footsteps closing in on him. Not until a shot hit the car.   
  
He screamed, unintentionally loud. He couldn’t help it though.   
  
He was still a _child,_ after all.  
  
He turned to see an alien approaching, its weaponed primed, its daunting yellow eyes scanned Peter, as he stood there, trembling in utter shock.   
  
“Please, _please_ , don’t!”   
  
The creature let out a howl; its weapon began to fire toward Peter rapidly.   
  
Peter scurried away to the other side of the street, ducking away from the shots.   
  
[One day, he’d look back on this, and be glad that the alien was unable to aim, like the Stormtroopers in _Star Wars_.]   
  
Peter’s foot caught on a slap of rubble, and he stumbled. He didn’t have the time, or the mindset, to even realise he was falling. Which meant he didn’t have the time to catch himself.   
  
He landed, _hard_ , on his left side. He heard a sickening crunching sound as his face impacted with the ground. His arms had been down by his side, so he luckily he didn’t land on his either of his wrists.   
  
He gasped out, winded by the sudden fall.   
  
The fall worked in favour though, as the alien charged away believing its work was done.  
  
Peter sobbed unceasingly as he fought against the burning sensation as he tried to breathe through his shocked lungs. He weakly rolled over onto his back, he looked heavenward, praying to see his dad fly by.  
  
Praying for his dad to see him.  
  
“Dad.” He hiccuped as his chin trembled, “Dad, please _._ I’m scared.” 


	50. A World Without You

Peter kept calling out for Tony. He chanted ‘dad,’ over and over again, not even stopping to breathe. The word seemed to lose all meaning after a while because he had heard it so many times. That didn’t stop him; he kept crying out, hoping his muffled cries reached his distance father.   
  
He just wanted Tony to sweep down, grab him, and tell him everything was going to be okay.   
  
Peter had been told multiple times that he acted grown up for his age. It wasn’t new news that he had intelligence beyond his years. Often, people forget how young he indeed was.   
  
Intelligence, and being grown up don’t always go hand-in-hand; Peter’s love for science wasn’t going to save him from an alien invasion.   
  
Peter had been forced to grow up quickly, due to situations out of his control. It all started after Tony was kidnapped, and it spiralled from there. It wasn’t an experience children often have to go through, and it changed him.    
  
If anyone saw him, curled in the middle of the street, battered and bruised, crying out for his dad, they’d realise how young he was.  
  
He was _just_ a kid who wanted his dad to come and rescue him.   
  
His throat ran dry, and he coughed into the back of his hand. He tried to call out again, but his voice strained, unable to muster the strength.   
  
He placed his palms flat against the ground and pushed himself up into a sitting position.  He brushed his hand over his face and flinched when he fingers gently touched again his nose, which he had broken on impact with the ground. He blinked away tears before carefully, and slowly, getting up onto his feet. He stumbled back a little, as he tried to balance himself.   
  
Suddenly, all his pain went to the back of his mind, when he heard the familiar sound of the Iron Man suit flying overhead.   
  
He looked up, trying to catch a glimpse, he held his arm up and waved. Hoping he stood out in the destruction that was New York City. His hand collapsed down to his side when he noticed Tony.  His dad flew past, quickly making his way towards the wormhole, clutching on to what seemed to be a missile.   
  
He charged back, ignoring his body’s screams for him to slow down. He had to see what his dad was doing. He stopped at the end of the street, his breath hitched as Tony flew right into the wormhole, and instantly he disappeared from view.   
  
Peter’s breath hitched, and his heart pounded his chest, he bounced back and forth on his feet as he stared at the empty space in the sky.  
  
Everything was going to be okay. _It had to be_. Tony always had a plan.  
  
Peter jolted when he heard deafening crashes in the distance, he tore his eyes away from the wormhole to watch a considerably larger alien, than the one he had faced earlier, collapse down onto a skyscraper.  
  
He looked back to the wormhole, and his heart plummeted. It was closing, and Tony wasn’t back yet.   
  
“Dad!” He attempted to shout, though his throat was still hoarse.  
  
He held his breath as he watched the wormhole drew to a close. He placed his hands on his stomach as it lunged forward as if he was going to throw up. Instead, he screamed. His pain was even able to break through his sore throat.    
  
He stopped when he noticed the lifeless form of Tony falling through the sky.   
  
He went back to chorusing ‘dad’ under his breath again, but this time was different. He ran, faster than he should have been able too.   
  
He charged around a corner, keeping his eyes fixed on Tony’s falling body. His plea got louder the closer Tony got to hit the ground.   
  
Peter’s throat seized, and he stopped screaming, just as the Hulk swept in, and caught Tony mid-fall. Peter watched as the Hulk crashed into a building, smashing it on impact as he tried to slow down.  
  
“Dad,” Peter repeated, he charged down an alleyway. People started to step out onto the streets, but Peter paid no attention to them. Not even when a few of them called for him to stop.  
  
Peter sprinted onto the road; he spotted three recognisable figures surrounding the unconscious form of his dad; Captain America was down on his left, a hand pressed on Tony’s chest plate; Thor was hovering over them, his hammer clutched tightly in his hand. The Hulk was off to the side, sloughed over.

In different circumstances, Peter would freak out about being meters away from superheroes, that he had only heard about in stories.   
  
He didn’t care. _Not yet_. He just cared about his dad, who was lying on the road.  
  
“Dad!” Peter screamed again as he charged towards them.   
  
Captain America tilted his head into his shoulder, and his eyebrows knitted together as his eyes locked onto Peter.  
  
Thor was fast on his feet, seeming to put two-and-two together quicker than the Captain. He hurried over, and he held out his arm, swiftly catching Peter mid-run. Peter pushed him while calling out to his dad, but of course, he wasn’t a match for a demigod.  
  
“Dad!”  
  
“I am sorry, young Stark,” Thor said, solemnly.   
  
“No, Dad, _please_!” Peter begged, continuing to push against Thor’s arm, “No.”   
  
“ _Боже мой_!” Natasha’s voice cracked out of the comlink, loud enough for them all to hear, “ _Is that Peter_?!”  
  
The Captain went to answer but was startled when Hulk roared in anguish.   
  
Tony jolted as his eyes flew open, and he gasped, as his body was shocked back into consciousness, “What the hell?”  
  
Thor allowed his arm to slip away. Peter didn’t waste any time in charging forward and collapsing down by Tony’s side.  
  
“Peter!” Tony yelped, “What the hell are you doing here?!”   
   
Peter tried to speak, but his words died instantly in his throat. He quickly shuffled back so that he could lay the side of his head on Tony’s chest.  
  
Tony let out a slow breath, allowing his shock to fade away. He moved his shaking hand to thread it through Peter’s hair, even though Tony was in the suit,  Peter leaned into the touch as he wept.  
  
“Stark?” The Captain said warily.  
  
Tony snapped his eyes back over to him, “Oh, hey Cap.” He hiccuped, having forgotten for a second that he was there, “What just happened?”   
  
The Captain fell back onto his heels, as he let out a small sigh, “We won.”  
  
Tony closed his eyes and propped his head back as he cradled Peter close and sighed. He opened his eyes and carefully moved his other arm to gesture over to the Captain, “Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys.” He faked a cheer, “Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day.”  
  
The Hulk grumbled.   
  
Tony pointed over to him, “Have you ever tried shawarma?” He asked, “There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it.”  
  
“We're not finished yet,” Thor told him, emphatically, as his eyes fixed onto Peter.  
  
Tony nodded knowingly,  “And then shawarma after.”  
  
Peter’s whimpers cut off, to be replaced by small hiccups of laughter.  
  
“Hey there, bud.” Tony said softly, ruffling his hair, “You okay?”  
  
Peter hummed into his chest; he gently pushed himself up to look at Tony.   
  
Tony’s face dropped when he was Peter’s face. What caught Tony’s immediate attention was Peter’s crooked nose, and the cuts, and scraps on his cheeks. He moved his hand up and titled Peter’s chin up as gently as he could, “What happened?”  
  
“Aliens.”   
  
Tony sighed, guilty, “I’m sorry, baby.”   
  
Peter chuckled as tears brimmed in his eyes. Tony hadn’t called him ‘ _baby’_ in years, not since he was in kindergarten. Over the years it had slowly evolved into ‘ _buddy_.’ Peter was happy to hear it again.   
  
“It’s okay.” Peter said, “Not your fault.”  
  
Tony moved his hand down and carefully attempted to push himself up. “Hey, _hey_ , careful.” The Captain said cautiously as he scrambled to his feet and grabbed Tony’s arm. Thor made a move to do the same.  
  
“I’m alright.” Tony told them as they helped him up onto his feet, Thor let his grasp slip away; first, the Captain kept his hand firmly on Tony’s shoulder, “Rogers, I’m fine. Scratch that, I’m great.”   
  
“If you’re sure.” He unwillingly let go, leaving Tony to balance on his for a second.  
  
“Told you.” Tony shrugged, he reached up and pulled off the rest of his broken helmet, he absentmindedly tossed it behind him, “Oh, that’s better.”   
  
Peter slid over and locked his arms around Tony’s middle, pulling him close protectively.  
  
“Hey!” Tony exclaimed, he looked down, and his expression softened as he wrapped an arm around Peter, “Hi, bud.”  
  
“Is it over?”   
  
“Almost.” Tony told him, “We just have one more thing to do.”   
  



	51. First Impression

The team stayed silent for a second as Tony cradled Peter. Somehow, even the Hulk had managed to shut up. It seemed he was content that his roar had saved Tony’s life.  
  
“So.” Tony said into the silence, “I think introductions are in order.” He said, rubbing Peter’s back, “Don’t you think, bud?”   
  
“Yep.”   
  
“Well.” Tony turned around, facing away from the Hulk. He’d noticed his son flinch a few times, he understood that the Hulk wouldn’t hurt him, but he was pretty daunting. Peter couldn’t help but be a little afraid up close, “Cap, Thor, this is Peter.”  
  
“Hello, Peter.” The Captain said softly; he held out his hand, “You can call me Steve.”  
  
“Um, thank you.” Peter clasped his hand and shook it, “Nice to meet you.”  
  
“Nice to meet you too.” Steve grinned, though his forehead was creased in utter confusion. Tony snorted realising Steve probably had no idea he even had a son.   
  
Thor stepped forward, gently clasping onto Peter’s arm, “Young Stark! It is a privilege to make your acquaintance.”  
  
Peter laughed nervously as Thor shook his arm, he tried to speak, but no words came out. Thor let go, but Peter’s arm stayed hovering upright.  
  
“Well done, point break, you broke him,” Tony commented, pushing Peter’s arm down for him.  
  
“Shut up.” Peter squeaked, “Hello, Thor.”   
  
Thor chuckled, darting his eyes up to Tony, “I like this one.”  
  
“Everyone does.” Tony shrugged, “Kiddo, this is the Hulk.” He pointed over to him, “Bruce Banner is somewhere underneath; you can meet him later.”   
  
Peter stared up at the Hulk, “Okay.”   
  
“Let’s get going then,” Tony said, gently pushing on Peter’s back.   
  
Thor started spinning his hammer around; they all turned and watched as he flew up towards the tower.  
  
“Wow,” Peter muttered under his breath.  
  
Tony shook his head, “We didn’t even get a goodbye.”   
  
The Hulk charged away next.   
  
Tony gestured after him, “This team has no manners.”   
  
Peter clung onto Tony’s hand, as they started the walk back with Steve close behind them. “So bud,” Tony started, “Why are you here?”  
  
“Well, um,” Peter stumbled over his words, “I left my art homework in your office.” He brought his hand to his face, and crewed down nervously on his nails, “And I thought I could get it before Henry came to pick me up.”  
  
“And Meredith knew about this?”  
  
“Nope.” Peter said quietly, “I kinda wanted to do it myself.”  
  
“Yourself? You mean you walked to the tower on your own!?”  
  
“Um, hm.”  
  
“Peter…” Tony trailed off, shaking his head, “You shouldn’t have done that.”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Peter looked down at his feet, “I thought I could be fast enough, but I saw a bad guy--”  
  
Tony’s heart dropped, he wasn't sure if Loki was the person that Peter was referring to, but the thought terrified him, “Did he see you? Did he do anything--” 

“No.” Peter cut him off, “I hid away. He didn’t see me.”  
  
Tony let out a startled breath, “Good, _good_. Why did you go outside?”  
  
“The windows smashed, so I ran out to find you.”  
  
Tony caught a glimpse of Steve’s small smile as he reacted to the blatant innocence in Peter’s admission.   
  
“Oh.” Tony swallowed, “I’m sorry I didn’t come, bud.”  
  
“You’re here now.” Peter shrugged, leaning into Tony’s side.  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Tony looked heavenward as he tapped Peter’s back “I’m here now.” Dread hit him, “I better phone Pepper when we can, and Meredith, they’re both probably terrified.”  
  
“I didn’t mean it.” Peter blurted, “I just wanted to be grown up.”  
  
“I get it, kid.” Tony said reassuringly, “Don’t do anything like this again. I don’t think I can handle it.”  
  
“I won’t.”   
  
“And you’re most definitely grounded.”   
  
“Yeah…” Peter trailed off, “I know.”  
  
“How’s your nose?” Steve asked, “That looks like it really hurts.”    
  
“It does.” Peter answered he hummed for a second, “Well, well, _it did_. Kinda just feels fuzzy now.”  
  
“You’re very brave, Peter,” Steve said, fondly.  
  
“Yes, he is.” Tony sighed, “But bud, I can’t lie to you. It is gonna hurt when we have to reset it earlier.”  
  
“Oh.” Peter hiccuped, “Can we just leave it?”  
  
“Sorry, bud, no.” Tony cooed sympathetically.  
  
“Okay.”   
  
“I’m sure it won’t hurt too much.” Steve reassured him, “I once dislocated both my shoulders, at once.”   
  
Tony narrowed his eyes at the super soldier, confused by his sudden proclamation. Though he quickly understood why Steve had said it, when Peter exclaimed, “Woah! That must have sucked!”  
  
Steve was distracting Peter. His past pain seemed to have done to trick.  
  
“Yeah. It wasn’t nice.” Steve said, “My best friend, Bucky, had to...pop them back in for me.”  
  
“Ugh.” Peter cringed, “That’s disgusting.” He held out his left arm, “I broke my wrist last year.” He shook it around, haphazardly, “It’s better now.”  
  
Steve snorted, “I can see.”  
  
A mischievous smirk grew on Tony’s face, “And do you want to tell _Captain America_ how you broke your wrist?”   
  
Peter’s face paled, “No.”   
  
“He was jumping on his bed.”   
  
“Dad.” Peter nudged him in the side, “I was pretending to be in Star Wars actually.”  
  
“Star Wars?” Steve’s forehead creased.  
  
“No, Rogers, don’t---”  
  
“You’ve never seen Stars Wars?!” Peter yelled, “You have to watch them!”  
  
“I will.” Steve said, sensing Peter’s passion, “I promise.”  
  
“They’re so cool.” Peter told him, “You’ll love ‘em.”  
  
“I bet I will.”  
  
They reached the outside of the tower, “Kiddo, can you get us in?”  
  
“Yep.” Peter scanned his hand; the door clicked open, Tony held it open, allowing Peter and Steve to walk in, before he stepped in, “You should get Jarvis to work.”  
  
“Yes. A handprint system is outdated at this point.” Tony said, “But we should probably fix the building first, bud.”   
  
Peter flung his head back, “Ugh, more building work.”  
  
“Sadly,” Tony said, ruffling his hair.  
  
The elevator opened, and in a flash, Natasha burst out. It was clear that she was searching for something. More specifically, _someone_.  
  
“Auntie Nat!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
She let out a shaky laugh, and her posture slumped as soon as her eyes locked onto Peter, “Oh, thank God.” She hurried towards them, Peter bounced over and threw himself around her. Natasha bent down and quickly guided up into her arms.   
  
Peter locked his legs around her as she cradled him close. He tucked her chin into her shoulder, “I missed you.”  
  
“Missed you too.” She whispered; she looked up to Tony and Steve.  
  
Steve frowned, and scratched his chin; he gestured to Peter and Natasha, “So you already knew…”  
  
“Nothing goes over your head does it, Cap,” Tony commented.   
  
“I met them when I went undercover to spy on Stark,” Natasha said nonchalantly.  
  
Steve’s eyebrows raised, and he looked over to Tony, who just shrugged.  
  
“And I made sure that mentions of Peter were redacted in the records about Iron Man.” Natasha said, “Which is why you didn’t know about him.”   
  
“Got it,” Steve said.  
  
“We should head up.” Tony moved forward, placing a hand on Peter’s back, “We’ve got a demigod to arrest.”  
  
Natasha looked up to him with glazed eyes, ‘Thank you for not dying.’ She mouthed as she clutched tighter onto her nephew.  
  
He shot her his familiar grin, and nodded; he leaned forward, placing a kiss in Peter’s unruly hair, “Come on, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Commentary: Of course, in this au, Tony having a son is public knowledge, but Natasha chose to have all mentions of Peter redated from SHIELD files to help protect him from potential threats such as Loki or visitors from other planets.


	52. The Last Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Endgame Spoilers in the dialogue for this scene.

Steve stepped out of the elevator first, rushing over to where Thor and Hulk were hovering over Loki, who was laid on his front, unconscious, on the smashed marble floor.   
  
Peter was holding hands with Natasha and Tony; he kept bending his legs in the air, making them swing his dead weight. Neither of them minded, after the day they had, hearing Peter laugh was music to their ears.   
  
“Nat, can you please take this thing off me?”    
  
They all turned to see Clint skipping over towards them, clutching onto Loki's sceptre, though he was holding it out as if it were an unexploded bomb.   
  
“It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.” He held it out in front of him, waiting for Natasha to take it.  
  
“Sorry, Peter.” She let go of his hand and reached forward taking hold of the wand, “I work with morons.”  
  
Peter giggled as he dotted his eyes up to focus on Clint, who placed a hand on his chest and let out an exaggerated sigh at her slander.   
  
Natasha gently kicked his shin and tilted her head towards Peter.   
  
Clint grinned as he turned his attention to Peter, “So, you’re the infamous Peter that Nat told me all about?”  
  
“Yep,” Peter said, continuing to swing around, using Tony’s arm.  
  
“Bud.” Tony hummed, “This is Robin Hood.”  
  
“I’m Hawkeye.” He snapped defensively.  
  
Tony turned his face away as his cheeks flushed with colour and he snickered to himself.  
  
“Just ignore him,” Peter told him.  
  
“I was planning too.” Clint held out his closed fist, and Peter leapt forward to fist-pump him, “You can call me Clint.”  
  
“Hi, Clint!” Peter squeaked.  
  
“Hi, Peter!” Clint exclaimed, mirroring Peter’s tone.  
  
Peter giggled, as Natasha rolled her eyes and once again nudged Clint in the shin with her foot, he yelped and bent down to nurse his ‘ _injury.’_ Natasha turned to face Peter, “Feel free to hit him.”  
  
Natasha walked away without saying another word. Clint jogged after her, muttering expletives under his breath, hoping Peter didn’t hear.  
  
Tony was rendered speechless, that hardly ever happened to him. Many thoughts and ideas were echoing inside his head. He knew that everything was going to change because the team were going to become part of their lives.   
  
He couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.  
  
He dotted his eyes down to Peter, who was enthusiastically bouncing back and forth, hanging onto his hand, as he stared at the Avengers with wide-eyes.   
  
“Bud, I’m not a jungle gym.” He joked; he lifted his arm, Peter jumped, folding his legs up, making Tony support his weight with only one arm.  
  
“Yeah, you are.” Peter giggled as he swung himself forward.  
  
Tony lowered Peter back down onto his feet, his son bowed his face down and let out a disappointed sigh, “Hey, don’t pout. If you play your cards right, after all of this, we can go to Disneyland.”   
  
“Really?!”   
  
“Yeah, I think we deserve it.”   
  
“Cool.” Peter sang, “Thanks, Dad.”  
  
Tony went to say something, but was interrupted by Steve calling over, “He’s waking up.”   
  
“Ugh, back to work.” Tony sighed, he pulled Peter closer to his side, “Do not let go of my hand, Peter, you understand?”   
  
“Got it.” Peter nodded.  
  
They walked over to the centre of the room; they all stood looming over Loki. Tony stood on the far right of the group, in front of the Hulk. He made sure he clutched onto Peter as tightly as he could.   
  
Peter moved closer to Tony’s side, as Clint knelt in front of all of them, and prepared his bow, just in case Loki tried anything.   
  
Loki crawled away from where he had been laid; he pulled himself up three steps that led to the elevator. It was clear that he hadn’t yet realised that the team were right behind him. He froze, and his body loosened. He dotted his eyes down to the stairs, before turning to face the Avengers.  
  
“If it’s all the same to you…” Loki trailed off and locked eyes with Tony, “I'll have that drink now.”  
  
Tony raised his eyebrows, “All right. Good one.” He turned his attention to the team, “No more standing around.”   
  
Thor moved forward, pulling Loki off the floor with one heavy hand.  
  
Loki locked eyes with Peter, and he tilted his head into his shoulder as he stared him down, Peter jolted back, hiding beside Tony’s leg, “Who is this halfing?”   
  
Tony glared at him, before gently pushing on Peter’s back to get him away from the confrontation, the team began taking on different tasks.  
  
Tony let go of Peter’s hand, “One second, kiddo. Just gotta release this…” He pulled down on his gauntlet, and the suit opened, he stepped out, free at last. “Finally.”   
  
Peter laughed gleefully and hurried forward, locking his arms around his dad.  
  
“That’s better, isn’t it?” Tony asked, wrapping one arm around Peter while using the other to mess with his hair.  
  
“Way better.”   
  
“Yeah?” Tony grinned, he pulled back, and titled Peter’s chin up to face him, “I’ve got to help these guys clean up, and then I’m all yours.”   
  
“Okay.”  
  
Tony turned on his foot, and gestured to the Avengers, “By the way, feel free to clean up.”   
  
Natasha held up Loki's sceptre ignoring Tony’s comment, “Who gets the magic wand?”  
  
“Strike team's coming to secure it,” Steve told her, just on queue the elevator opened, and a team of agents walked out.  
  
“We can take that off your hands.” One said gesturing to the sceptre.  
  
“By all means.” Natasha shrugged as she handed it over, “Careful with that thing.”  
  
Clint, who was over by the bar, turned around, “Unless you want your mind erased. And not in a fun way.”  
  
“We promise to be careful.” The agent said before walking away.  
  
“Hey, Romanoff.” Tony locked hands with Peter, and guided him over, “Will you watch Peter while I deal with the Tesseract?”   
  
Natasha went to answer, but Clint cut her off, “We’re not glorified babysitters, Stark.”  
  
“I wasn’t asking you, birdbrain.” Tony snapped back, “You didn’t let me finish.” He cleared his throat and looked over to his son, “Peter. Will you watch Clint? I don’t trust him.”  
  
“On it.” Peter sang as Clint gasped and muttered inaudibly under his breath.  
  
“I’ve got him,” Natasha said softly, she held out her arm; Peter separated from Tony’s side, and bounced over, taking her hand.   
  
Tony smiled in the knowledge that Peter felt safe with Natasha, “Thank you.” 


	53. Not His Father

After bickering with SHIELD for what seemed like hours, and having to listen to Peter’s soul-crushing cries as he had his nose reset by the on-site medics, Tony was beyond relieved when they were finally set free.   
  
Tony had been worried that Peter would take a while to recover from the trauma of having his nose reset, but he was once again blown away by Peter’s resilience. Within minutes, Peter was back to his usual bubbly self; Tony, reluctantly had to throw some of the credit to Clint, who had managed to use self-deprecating humour to stop Peter from crying.   
  
Tony started leading most of the team, minus Thor and Bruce, toward the Shawarma Restaurant he had spotted during the battle.    
  
Peter was sitting up on his shoulders, lost in a daydream, as he twiddled his fingers around Tony’s hair.   
  
“So Stark, where are we _actually_ going?” Clint called, as they navigated over piles of rumble.  
  
“Dinner.”  
  
“Look around. I’m pretty sure McDonald's is closed.”   
  
“We’re going for Shawarma, I’ve told you about five times already.” Tony said, “And the place is open, I phoned ahead.”  
  
“Dad.” Peter sang before Clint had time to speak again.   
  
Tony hummed his gratitude, “Yes, bud.”  
  
 “Can we have McDonald's tomorrow?”   
  
“Maybe. We’ll probably have to go out of town, though.” Tony said gesturing to the destruction around them. He should have told the team that _McDonald's_ was Peter’s ‘wake’ word, it didn’t matter if the kid was daydreaming, or sleeping, if he heard it, he wanted it.   
  
“Peter,” Steve said, he was walking beside Natasha, directly behind Tony,  “I’ve never been to McDonald's.”  
  
Tony’s breath hitched as Steve’s innocent admission, and he bit down on his lip to hide back a laugh as he awaited Peter’s reaction.  
  
“You’ve never been to McDonald's!?!” Peter exploded, he jolted a little, and Tony clung tighter onto his legs, attempting to keep him safe and stable on his shoulders.  
  
Steve’s frowned, “Is it _that_ good?”  
  
“The best!” Peter exclaimed “You haven’t seen Star Wars, or had a McDonalds? That really sucks.”  
  
“Yes, because everybody knows that your quality of life is affected by whether or not you’ve watched Star Wars, or eaten McDonald's.” Tony mocked.  
  
Steve bowed his head into his chest as he chuckled.   
  
“I have to admit,” Clint said, clapping his hands.  
  
“Please don’t.” Natasha snapped.   
  
Clint glared at her, before skipping ahead, so that he was walking in parallel with Tony; he pointed up to Peter, and then back to Tony, “This is not what I expected.”   
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “Expected?”  
  
“Oh come on, you know what I mean, you know…” Clint stuttered as he haphazardly flapped his hands around, “Like…”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Cut to the chase.”   
  
“I mean, I kinda just thought from what I’d seen on the news and stuff, that like butlers and maids raised Peter.  I didn’t expect you two to actually be…” He yelped when Natasha punched him in the back, stopping him from digging his own grave.  
  
“Contrary to popular belief,” Tony hissed through gritted teeth, “I am not my father.”   
  
It was Steve’s slight audible gasp that Tony’s ears picked up; he could tell the Captain wanted to say something but elected not to.   
  
He was just too goddamn polite.   
  
Tony hadn’t forgotten that Steve had known Howard, although Steve only known him as a friend, he hadn’t _lived_ to see him become a pathetic excuse for a father.   
  
Natasha muttered into Clint’s ear, whatever she was saying or more likely, _threatening_ , made all the colour in his cheeks fade in an instant.  
  
Clint looked back over to Tony, “Yeah, of course not. _Sorry_.” He hurried to the back of the group, like a kid at school who got sent away for misbehaving.   
  
“Yeah, okay,” Tony said back, trying to escape the awkwardness they were now stuck in.  
  
Tony couldn’t blame Clint entirely; the media had speculated how Tony treated Peter over the years. They didn’t have much to go on, apart from a few conferences and benefits that Peter had attended. They filed in the blanks by referring back to Howard’s outdated parenting methods.   
  
They were, of course, _wrong_.   
  
Tony attempted to brush off the comments; he dotted his eyes over to Natasha, who offered him a warm apologetic smile. He smiled back, and shook his head, reassuring her that she didn’t need to beat the crap out of Barton.   
  
No one spoke for the rest of the walk; Peter did hum the melody to _Bohemian Rhapsody_ under his breath, Tony fought back the urge to sing along, though he couldn’t help but chuckle when he noticed Natasha subconsciously mouthing the words.   
  
They arrived outside the fast-food restaurant; it was concealed behind scaffolding, which was probably a blessing in disguise, as it seemed to have escaped extensive damage during the battle.  
  
They all stopped in their tracks when they heard the familiar sound of Thor flying above them.   
  
“That is so cool!” Peter uttered in disbelief as Thor touched down on the ground a few meters in front of them.  
  
Thor stepped forward, “I have placed my brother--”  
  
“Don’t talk shop.” Tony cut him off, he gestured over to the restaurant, “It’s dinner time.” He knelt, and Peter carefully jumped off his shoulders and grasped onto his hand.   
  
“Is Banner joining us?” Thor asked.  
  
“Yes.” Natasha said, “He just went looking for some clothes.”   
  
“I gave him directions,” Tony added as he pulled the door open, and waltzed in, he waved at owners, who stopped cleaning up to greet them.  
  
Natasha and Clint were entrusted with ordering the food; the others helped the owners pick up the tables and chairs off the floor that had been knocked down during the battle.  
  
After they were finished, Tony and Steve started to gather chairs so they would all fit around the table; Peter stood off to the side, trying his best to explain to Thor what a fast-food restaurant was.   
  
“Tables set, guys!” Tony called over.  
  
Peter bounced over, “Coming!”   
  
Steve sat at the far end, while Peter sandwiched himself between Thor and Tony, leaving two seats opposite for Clint and Natasha, and the one at the other end for Bruce when he decided to turn up.  
  
“Grubs up children!” Clint sung as he skipped over, he placed down two red serving baskets, one for Tony and the other for Thor.  
  
“Don’t forget to say thank you.” Peter scolded.  
  
Tony and Thor muttered out a quick thank you, which was enough for Clint, who broke down into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, “God, I love this kid.” He turned back to gather the rest of the food.  
  
“Here you go, Peter,” Natasha said, placing down a blue cardboard box in front of him.  
  
“Thanks, Auntie Nat."  
  



	54. One Big Happy Family (Avengers)

After the team all sat down, and started to eat, the door opened, and Bruce Banner stepped in. Tony twirled around to greet him,  “You’re just in time, doc.”   
  
“Yeah, your food’s getting cold,” Clint added gesturing to food.   
  
“Thanks,” Bruce muttered, wearily, as he headed to his seat.  
  
Natasha swallowed her mouthful of shawarma; she held her hand out toward Peter, “Bruce, this is Peter.”  
  
“Oh yes,” Bruce smiled, looking up, “Hello Peter. Your dad has told me a lot about you.”  
  
Peter let out a nervous chuckle, and his cheeks flushed with colour, “Hello.” He squealed, “You’re the--”   
  
Bruce’s face dropped, and he sighed, “Yeah, I’m the Hulk.”   
  
“I know that!” Peter said, flapping his hands out in front of him, “But you’re like best scientists ever. My teacher told me about you.”   
  
Bruce lit up, “They did?”   
  
“Yeah, she’s a big fan.” Peter told him, “So am I. You’re really cool.”  
  
“Um,” Bruce trailed off,  “...Thank you.”  
  
“So Peter,” Clint cut in, “Are you like a genius, then?”   
  
Peter shrugged, “I just really like science.”  
  
“He’s modest.” Tony said, reaching over to ruffle Peter’s hair, “And I am not, he is ridiculously intelligent.”   
  
“Shut up, Dad,” Peter said jokingly as he pushed Tony’s arm away.  
  
“Okay, kiddo.”   
  
The team went silent as they all turned their attention to their food, and allowed their obvious tiredness to catch up with them.   
  
Steve was trying his best, not nod off. He knew Tony had _old man_ jokes hidden up his sleeve, and he was just waiting for an excuse to use them. (Tony definitely noticed, and was already preparing more.)  
  
Peter particularly inhaled his food, to Clint’s quiet amusement. Tony kept muttering to Peter, worried that he might choke if he didn’t slow down.  
  
Predictably, Peter finished his food before everyone else; Tony noticed him eyeing up Thor’s waffle fries, he knew his son was just trying to pluck up the courage to ask. Peter swivelled around in his chair and tilted his head into his shoulder; Tony watched on intently, “ _Uncle_ Thor?” Peter blurted, nonchalantly.   
  
Tony jumped at the words, and he started to cough harshly, as his food went down the wrong way. Bruce moved over and started to thump his back as everyone stopped what they were doing to look up.   
  
Tony lifted his hand and shook it around, “Thanks.” He muttered breathlessly, “I’m good.”  
  
Peter turned back around to face Thor, “Can I have some of your waffle fries, please?”  
  
Thor smiled warmly and pushed the basket over towards Peter, “Of course, young Stark.”   
  
“Thanks.” Peter grabbed a few and started to eat them. He was too preoccupied to notice that most of the table were staring at him, apart from Natasha and Thor, who were utterly unphased by the matter.   
  
Tony couldn’t tell if it was endearing that his son had elected to claim as a Norse God as his ‘Uncle’ or if it was somewhat terrifying. Either way, it was definitely a shock.  
  
Before anyone could say anything, Peter threw down his last few fries into his box and scrambled up from the seat, “I’m going to the toilet!” He exclaimed before rushing away to the restroom door.  
  
“So…” Clint started, “Is he at that age where he has to tell everyone what he does before you know... _doing it?_ ”  
  
Tony blew a raspberry and scratched his chin, “To be honest, he’s been  doing that since he could toddle.”  
  
Natasha looked up, and she rolled his eyes before slumping back in her chair, “Okay, so I’ll say it. He just called Thor _uncle_.”   
  
“And?” Clint said, “He calls you _auntie._ ”   
  
Natasha glared at him, “I’ve known him longer.”  
  
An evil grin grew on Clint’s face, “Are you jealous?” Natasha nudged him, “Stop hitting me!"    
  
Natasha looked over to Tony, her face softening, “So?”  
  
“I just think he likes the idea of having a big family.” Tony’s voice wobbled a little as he spoke, he cleared his throat, “Who doesn’t?” He looked over to Thor, “You don’t mind, do you?”   
  
“Quite the opposite.” Thor proclaimed, reaching over to squeeze Tony’s shoulder,  “I am quite fond of him.”   
  
“Good.” Tony pointed to Steve, Clint and Bruce, “Anyways, he’ll probably call you all uncle by the end of the day.” They all smiled.  
  
Peter burst through the door and hurried back to his seat.   
  
“Kid, come here.” Tony gently tugged on his shoulder, “How did you manage to get shawarma in your hair?” He asked, fishing it out.   
  
“Get off.” Peter giggled, batting him away.  
  
Thor snorted at the interaction, Tony and Peter turned to look at him, both wearing the same quizzical expression. “You resemble your father, young Stark.” He declared.   
  
“Actually...” Peter said, “I’m adopted.”   
  
“Ah, so is my brother!” Thor exclaimed, almost too excited.  
  
Tony shook his head, “No, _no_. Point break, do not compare my son to your homicidal little brother.”  
  
“My greatest apologies,” Thor said, dropping his smile.  
  
“Peter,” Steve piped up, “You’re adopted?”  
  
“Yep.” Peter said, “Well, my parents died when I was a baby; Dad was friends with them, so he adopted me.”   
  
Tony leaned forward, noticing the slight tension in the room “You met his great-grandfather actually, Rogers.” He said, “George Parker worked with my father on the supersoldier project.”   
  
“Oh, yes.” Steve smiled, “So, you’re a Parker?”  
  
“Parker-Stark.” Peter sang proudly.   
  
Tony grinned, blinking rapidly to stop tears from forming. He was not ready to cry in front of the team _yet_. For a second, he was reminded of the Parkers, his best friends. He was committed to raising Peter right, that sometimes he forgot he lost them too.   
  
He absentmindedly leaned forward and placed a kiss in Peter’s hair. It didn’t go unnoticed by the team, who cooed softly. He rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his seat.  
  
Clint reclined his head back as he howled, “God, you’re such a dad!”   
  
Before Tony could retaliate in some form, the entrance way door burst open, with such force, they were surprised the hinges didn’t fly off. The team immediately took battle formation at the sudden intrusion, apart from Tony, who knew exactly who it was.  
  
Pepper charged in, with Happy close behind her. Panic etched across her face. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was attempting to catch her breath. She came to a standstill so that she could scan the restaurant for Peter and Tony.   
  
“Pepper!” Peter scrambled out of his chair, and charged over as fast as he could; he wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her close.  
  
Pepper’s posture loosened, and a shaky breath escaped her lips as soon as she had her arm locked around Peter’s shoulders; she muttered her relief under her breath, as she rubbed his arm comfortingly.   
  
Tony bounced over, “Hey.”  
  
She tilted her head to the side and stared at him, teary-eyed, “Hey.” She mirrored back softly. Tony placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned forward to kiss her. They parted, and Tony leaned back to look her in the eye, “Never, ever, do that to me again.”   
  
“Done deal,” Tony told her.  
  
“You too, sweetheart,” Pepper said, squeezing Peter’s shoulder.  
  
“Sorry.” He looked up at her, “Won’t do it again.”   
  
Pepper gasped at the sight of Peter’s face, even though she knew he’d gotten hurt, it was still pretty daunting. A bandage was supporting his nose, and cuts on his cheeks were covered with small white strips. “Oh my god.” She crouched down in front of him, running her hand through his hair, knowing she couldn’t touch his cheeks.   
  
“I’m okay.” Peter reassured her, “Promise.”  
  
She blinked away tears. “Yeah?”  
  
He smiled, “Yeah.”   
  
Pepper kissed his forehead before standing back up; Tony stepped over to Peter’s other side, the kid wrapped an arm around both of them.  
  
Peter turned his head back, “Hello Happy!”  
  
“Hey, kid.” Happy said, fighting the urge to smile back, “Boss.”  
  
“Hap.” Tony winked, “Good to see you.” He turned around, and gestured over to the table, “Happy, Pepper, this is the team. You’ve met Romanoff, so you can forget about her for a second.”  
  
Natasha threw her hands up in the air, “Hey!”  
  
Tony ignored her,  “Team, this is Pepper.” He pointed back, “And this is Happy.”   
  
The team chorused a ‘hello’ while Pepper and Happy muttered theirs.   
  
Tony chuckled under his breath as the awkwardness of it all, but he couldn’t help but _smile_.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have reached the end of the Avengers! Now onto my personal favourite, Iron Man 3.
> 
> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	55. Interruption (IM3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick PSA: My take on Iron Man 3 will focus on Peter and Pepper's relationship. Yes, of course, Tony still plays a massive part and has some fantastic moments with Peter (a few of my favourites.) 
> 
> Initially, I was going to cut back and forth between those two, and Tony, but it as a mess, to be honest. I realised if I stuck with Tony that it was, I ended up just repeating everything we've all seen in the movie. Therefore, I twisted it to show you the story from the sidelines, aka Peter and Pepper's point of view. I think it pays off. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!

**SIX MONTHS LATER (December 2012)**

Peter was scrawled across the couch, scribbling equations in his activity book, _Home Alone_ was playing on the television, but he wasn’t paying any attention to it; he was too preoccupied with his science work.

For the first time in months, he felt free. And it was definitely to do with the fact that they were two-thousand miles away from New York, but he would never admit to that.  
  
When Tony and Pepper told him they have to travel to Malibu for holidays, because of Pepper’s job as CEO, he was over the moon. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept through the night, but he knew, logically, it was before the Battle of New York.  Before the world around him changed, in an instant.   
  
He knew it would probably be easier to recover if he wasn’t constantly reminded of the experience every single day when he was at school. He couldn’t blame his friends for being curious, though. He had to act like the battle was an ‘ _awesome experience_ ’ because if he didn’t, he would have to admit that the whole thing terrified him.   
  
Spending Christmas in Malibu meant that he wouldn’t be asked millions of questions, and he wouldn’t be spending time in the city where his dad almost died. It was a win-win situation.   
  
Peter stopped in the middle of an equation when he heard Tony skip up the stairs, wincing with every step he took. A mischievous grew on Peter’s face; he leaned his head back off the couch so that he could catch a glimpse of his dad, “So, the suit up went well then?”   
  
Tony walked over and pointed at him as he attempted to hold back a proud laugh, “Remember what I told you, kiddo? You are not allowed to adopt my sarcasm.”  
  
“Little late for that.” Peter mused.   
  
Tony skipped over and playfully prodded Peter’s forehead, “There’s still time.” He let out an exaggerated sigh, “I am dreading your teenage years.”  
  
“Shut up,” Peter said jokingly, he moved his head back up, turning his attention back to the equations.  
  
“Have you nearly finished that book already!?” Tony asked, surprised, leaning down to peek over Peter’s shoulder, “I only gave it to you yesterday.”  
  
“They are kinda easy.”   
  
Tony’s eyes widened, and he raised his eyebrows, “Easy?”  
  
Peter tapped his pen against the page, “Yep!”  
  
“Wow.” Tony leaned over and ruffled his hair,  “I’m proud of you, bud.”  
  
Peter smiled, “Thanks.”   
  
Tony went to say something but was cut off when the television’s sound distorted, sending out a loud, high-pitched buzz. The familiar image of _Home Alone_ froze and glitched into lines of colour, “The channel must have gone down.”  
  
“I wasn’t really watching it.”   
  
Suddenly, the test card on the television glitched for a second, and a symbol of two swords surrounded by small circles.   
  
The symbol flickered off; it was quickly replaced by footage of a man dressed in long green and gold robes, his back was turned to the camera, he slowly moved, walking over to a group of people who were down on their knees.   
  
Peter looked up to Tony, who was staring at the television, waiting for something to happen.   
  
“ _Some people call me a terrorist._ ” The man started, followed by the bone-chilling sound of gunshots.   
  
Peter snapped his head back at the sound, Tony lunged forward, and placed his hand over Peter’s eyes, shielding him from the sight.

“Jarvis, turn it off,” Tony ordered. His hand dropped away from Peter’s face. The television was off.  
  
“ _Sir, that footage is currently being broadcast on every single channel nationwide,”_ Jarvis said.  
  
Tony brought his closed hand to his mouth; he let out a warily sigh, “That shouldn’t be possible.” He muttered, “Does anyone know who he is?”  
  
“ _It is highly suspected that this is Mandarin, sir.”_  
  
Peter placed his book down on his lap, and turned around to look at his dad, who was still transfixed by the now, turned off, television; he was fidgeting with his fingers nervously, as if he was waiting for something else to happen, “Dad?” Peter said softly,  “Are you okay?”   
  
Tony let out a shaky breath and crossed his arms over his chest, “Yeah, kid, I’m good.”   
  
Peter's shoulders slumped, “Don’t lie.”   
  
Tony pinched his fingers to the brim of his nose and closed his eyes, “I’m sorry, bud.” He circled the end of the couch and fell next to Peter.   
  
Peter tossed his book and pen down on the floor; he shuffled over and curled into his dad’s side. Tony gently moved his hand and combed his fingers through Peter’s hair,  “Was that a bad guy?”  
  
“Yeah, that was a _very_ bad guy.”   
  
“What does he want?”   
  
“Not sure.” Tony admitted, “He hurts people because he wants to send his message to the world. It’s not right, but people like him do exist, and we call them terrorists. Like the group who took me in Afghanistan.”    
  
Peter flinched at the memory, and pushed himself closer to Tony, “Does he scare you?”  
  
“Yes.” Tony said truthfully, “Does he scare you?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter hummed, “It feels like a different kinda scary than the Chitauri.”  
  
Tony’s breath hitched, he let out a slow sigh, “I get that, bud. I think it’s very scary when people hurt other people.”  
  
“Really scary,” Peter mumbled, he twiddled his thumbs, and let out a defeated sigh.   
  
Tony moved his hand away from Peter’s hair and locked it around Peter’s shoulders, holding him close. “It’s okay to be scared, bud.”   
  
“I know.” Peter said, “So, do _you_ have to stop him?”   
  
“No.” Tony said quickly, “This isn’t Iron Man’s job, bud. It’s more than that. It’s something the government handle; they have counter-terrorism strategies in place.”  
  
“Oh,” Peter said, not able to hide the relief in his tone.  
  
“Actually, your uncle Rhodey deals with situations like this.”   
  
“Like as War Machine?”  
  
“Probably.” Tony said, “But he’s called Iron Patriot now.”  
  
Peter’s eyes widened, and he chuckled lightly under his breath, “That’s a rubbish name.”   
  
Tony snorted, “It sucks, doesn’t it?”  
  
“Yeah." 

 


	56. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Nightmares

After the Mandarin’s warning was broadcast nationwide on every single channel, the country was ready for an onslaught of attacks, and Tony had done what he always did when the country was on red alert.   
  
He called Rhodey.  
  
Rhodey set up a time and place for them to meet up, and it was done. The only thing Tony didn’t count on was that Peter didn’t want to go with him. Usually, Peter would jump at the chance to see his uncle, but he wasn’t dumb, he knew that they were meeting to discuss the Mandarin, and he didn’t want to hear or even think about him.   
  
Tony was reluctant to leave without him. Peter wasn’t allowed to stay at home alone, especially since he snuck out of his childminder’s house and ended up getting stuck in the epicentre of a hostile alien invasion.   
  
It took a lot of begging on Peter’s part, and a promise that he wouldn’t step foot outside the house before Tony caved, and agreed to let Peter stay while he went out. It was different this time because Jarvis would be able to notify Tony if anything were to happen, (and this time there wasn’t was an alien army crashing down on the city.)  
  
Tony left, promising to be back within the hour.   
  
Peter had no intention of breaking any rules; he just tucked himself into the corner of the couch, with _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fir_ e book propped against his knees.   
  
It wasn’t long until his eyelids started to droop shut, and he was fighting to stay awake. It wasn’t his fault; he was used to late nights and early mornings because he struggled to stay asleep with the memories of _New York_ on his mind.  
  
This time, he decided not to battle against it. He placed his book down onto the floor and leaned his head into the back of the couch, allowing his eyes to come to a close.  
  
He was asleep as soon as he relaxed, but unfortunately, a lot can go wrong in a couple of minutes.  
  
Suddenly, he was back on the desolate roads of New York. Surrounded by destruction and overwhelmed by the bone-chilling sound of the Chitauri shrieking. He was once again alone, and undoubtedly afraid.   
  
“Wake up, wake up, wake up.” He chanted, _this is just a dream._  
  
The sound of the Iron Man armour flew overhead, and he was mind was once again plagued with the haunting image of Tony flying up towards the wormhole clutching onto the missile.   
  
“No.” Peter cried desperately, “Please, wake up.” _This is just a dream; this is just a dream. Dad is alive. He made it._  
  
It didn’t matter how hard he tried to escape, he was paralysed to the spot. He couldn’t move at all. His eyes were locked onto the wormhole overhead, he screamed, but there was no sound.  
  
He watched as his dad disappeared up the wormhole, it must have been the millionth time that memory played through his head. Somehow, every time was as real as the last. Like it was happening all over again.  
  
_This is just a dream. Wake up._  
  
Nightmares tend to twist reality into a far darker image, which is why, when Peter watched Tony lifelessly drop from the sky, storm clouds drew in, blocking out the sunlight, and there was no Hulk to save the day.   
  
_No,_ Tony just kept falling. And Peter was stuck, watching it happen.  
  
His father’s body dropped behind a skyscraper, and Peter stumbled back as an invisible force pushed against his chest, knocking the air clean from his lungs.   
  
He started to fall back, and darkness surrounded him. He cried out for Tony, but then he remembered that he had just watched him fall.  
  
_He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone._  
  
He stopped, motionless in the darkness, as two hands wrapped around his wrists, and gripped onto him tightly. He tried to escape the grasp, but whoever it was, was determined not to let him fall.   
  
A panicked but all-too-familiar voice cried out Peter’s name, over and over again. It didn’t make sense. Peter had just watched him die.  
  
_This is just a dream._  
  
Peter jolted forward as his eyes snapped open, the hands that had been wrapped around his wrists moved and pressed against his shoulders, attempting to push him back down into a sitting position gently.   
  
He didn’t realise he was screaming, not until his throat seized, and he had to stop to take a breath.   
  
He blinked rapidly to adjust to the lights in the room, and he melted into the grip on his shoulders as he tried to breathe.  
  
“Peter.” Tony’s voice said softly, “Bud, you with me?”   
  
Peter looked up, the invisible weight shifted over his chest, when he saw that the person who was holding onto him, was his dad.  
  
Tony was terrified, Peter could tell. It was just, in his overwhelmed state, he couldn’t understand why.   
  
He wasted no time in lunging forward and throwing himself around his dad, nuzzling his face into the groove of his shoulder and holding onto him as tight as he possibly could. He wasn't going to let him fall. _Not again_.   
  
“Hey, hey.” Tony muttered, he brought his hand up, and intertwined his fingers with Peter’s hair,  “Hey, I got you. You’re _back_. I’m here.”   
  
Peter tried to say something in response, but the words died in his throat.   
  
Tony lifted him up and carefully sat down on the couch. Peter shuffled, folding his legs up on Tony’s lap, he moved his head so that he was ear was pressed against the arc reactor, so that he could hear its familiar buzz.   
  
Tony went back to playing with Peter’s hair, as his son latched onto his side. “So, you had a nightmare?” Tony started, of course, he knew that he wasn’t dumb; he was just looking for answers.   
  
Peter simply nodded.  
  
“That’s okay.” Tony told him, “Can you tell me what it was about?”   
  
Peter winced and shook his head. He clung tighter onto Tony.  
  
“No, no.” Tony patted Peter’s back, comfortingly, “Don’t worry bud. It can’t hurt you now. I’m right here. I have nightmares too; you don’t have to be scared to tell me about them.”   
  
Peter hiccuped through a sob, “New York.”   
  
Tony flinched, and he let out a slow breath, “That’s okay, bud. It was very scary.”  
  
“You just... keep falling.”   
  
“I’m right here, bud.” Tony promised, “I’m not falling, not anymore.”   
  
“I can’t sleep, dad.”  
  
“I have an idea.” Tony proposed, “I can’t fall if you’re holding onto me now, can I?” Peter shook his head, “You can go to sleep now, right here.”  
  
Peter nestled into Tony’s chest, “Okay.”  
  
In the comfort of Tony’s arms, it only took a few moments, for Peter to let himself go, and slip away into a dreamless sleep. 

* * *

When Peter woke up, it didn’t take long for him to realise he was no longer on the couch; he was safely tucked up in his bed.  
  
His R2-D2 night light was shining from the plug socket near the door, reassuring him that he wasn’t lost in the dark. He smiled fondly, at the thought of Tony, making sure he kept a night light, even though Peter hadn’t used one since he was six.  
  
He dotted his eyes up to the alarm clock on his bedside table; it was midnight. He was taken back, he’d been asleep for over six hours, which meant he had slept through Pepper coming home, and dinner. _He must have really needed a rest._  
  
He stretched his arms up over his head and yawned; he pulled up his covers around him. He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall back to sleep.   
  
His attempt was cut off when the sound of Pepper screaming echoed through the hall. He bolted upright and clumsily, jumped out of bed, almost tripping over his toys before finally reaching the door, he yanked it open.  
  
He charged down the corridor towards their room; he came to an abrupt stop when Pepper stepped out and slammed the door behind her. She looked angry, her cheeks were flushed red, and her fists were clenched down by her side. She was breathing heavily, and in her state, she didn’t notice Peter.  
  
“Pepper?” Peter said warily.  
  
Pepper’s breath hitched, her expression melted when she locked eyes with him, she brushed her hand over her face, “Hey, sweetheart.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“Nothing, we’re fine.” She lied, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”  
  
“It’s okay.” Peter squeaked, “Where are you going?”  
  
“To sleep downstairs.” Pepper told him, she walked over and carefully brushed Peter’s hair out of his eyes, “I think we could all use some rest.”   
  
He smiled brittlely, “Yeah.”   
  
“Do you want me to tuck you in?” Pepper asked, bringing her hand down to his cheek.  
  
He leaned into her touch, sleepily, “No, thanks, I’ll be fine.”   
  
“If you’re sure, sweetie.” She sighed softly,  “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter smiled, “Goodnight Pepper.”   
  
“Night, darling.”   
  
Peter bounced back to his room, as soon as he was in, he quickly changed into his pyjamas. Once he was done, he quietly clicked his door open, and peeked his head around, making sure Pepper had gone. He tiptoed towards Tony’s room, and slowly pushed the door open, trying his best not to alert Pepper or scare Tony.  
  
Peter stopped at the sight. Tony was hunched over, in the corner of the bed, fighting to breathe in and out at irregular intervals. He hands were balled into fists around the sheets.   
  
“Dad.”  
  
Tony snapped his head up, and the light from his bedside lamp cast over his face, revealing his features. Dark circles bruised the skin underneath his eyes, emphasising that he hadn’t slept properly in days, his chin was trembling as he desperately tried to form words, but failed.  
  
Peter crawled onto the bed, and hurried to his side, he protectively wrapped an arm around him, and leaned his forehead against his arm;  Tony relaxed in his grasp, “Don’t worry, Dad. You can’t fall with me here.” 


	57. A Warning To The People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'This is War' by Thirty Seconds To Mars.

Thanks to a miracle, otherwise known as Peter Parker-Stark, Tony was able to get some dreamless sleep. It was more like ten power naps as he kept waking himself up, every half hour or so because his mind was on red alert.   
  
If Peter wasn’t sleeping beside him, with his arm _mercilessly_ locked around his back, holding him close, Tony would have gone down to his workshop to tinker with his suits.  Peter had achieved the impossible by being there, by simply, being himself.  
  
By seven in the morning, Tony grew reckless. He couldn’t get back to sleep, not with the sun shining through the gap in his blinds. He didn’t have the heart to move Peter or wake him.   
  
“ _Sir,_ ” Jarvis said unprovoked.  
  
Tony absentmindedly brought a finger to his lips and shushed him.   
  
“ _Sorry_ , _you told me to inform you if there was another Mandarin attack_.”   
  
Tony sighed, “There was another one?”   
  
“ _Yes, it happened in the early hours of this morning. At the Grauman's Chinese Theatre_.”  
  
Tony muttered expletives under his breath, “Um, okay. Has he made another broadcast?”  
  
“ _No, but he is highly speculated that he will soon_.”   
  
“Keep me posted.”   
  
Peter shifted as he stretched out his one free arm in front of him; he smacked his lips together.  
  
Tony moved his hand and twiddled Peter’s hair around his finger, “You awake, bud?” He asked quietly.  
  
Peter muttered back an incoherent string of words that Tony couldn’t begin to understand, he waited for a few moments to let Peter wake himself up.   
  
His son rubbed his hand over his eyes, “I’m hungry.”  
  
“You did miss out on dinner last night,” Tony pointed out, “So I’m not surprised.”   
  
“Yeah.” Peter murmured, “You okay?”  
  
“I’m fine, bud.” Tony smiled,  “How about you?”  
  
“I’m good.” Peter shrugged, his words were followed by the sound of his stomach rumbling.   
  
Tony exhale a soft chuckle, “So, just hungry then?”   
  
“Yeah.” Peter giggled.  
  
“Come on then,” Tony playfully pushed Peter’s shoulder.  
  
Peter looked up to him, wearing a mischievous grin, “Race you to the kitchen!” He sprung away, giving Tony no time to agree to his challenge.   
  
“Oh, you’re on,” Tony called to him; he waited until he heard Peter snicker before he bolted up from the bed, and chased after him.   
  
He was going to let Peter win, _obviously,_ but he couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard Peter enthusiastically chant ‘no’ under his breath as he picked up his pace, determined to beat his dad.   
  
Tony hurried down the stairs, just a few steps behind Peter. Peter turned around and charged away, laughing as he went. Tony slowed down as he approached the kitchen; he could hear Peter’s valiant giggling.  
  
“Beat you!” Peter exclaimed, as soon as Tony stepped through the door.  
  
Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head. He noticed Pepper sat at the end of the breakfast bar; she was dotting her eyes between them, perplexed by Peter’s early morning exuberance.   
  
“You cheated.” Tony finally uttered, breathlessly, as he pointed over to Peter.  
  
“No, I didn’t!”  
  
Tony leaned his hands on the table, “Okay, bud. You won.”  
  
“You two hungry?” Pepper perked up, she gestured to a plate in the middle of the table,  “I made waffles.”  
  
Peter celebrated and jumped up onto a stall. Tony started to prepare a pot of coffee; when he turned back, Peter was devouring a plate of waffles, “Eat it, not inhale it, bud.”  
  
“They’re really good,” Peter told him with his mouth’s full.  
  
Pepper leaned over, and pushed his chin up, as she chuckled, amused.  
  
“Let me try.” Tony skipped over, he took a plain waffle off the plate and bit into it, he hummed, “Not bad.”  
  
“Try it with chocolate sauce,” Peter said, pushing over the sauce.  
  
“I’m fine with this, thanks, kid.” He walked back over the pot, “Coffee, Pep?”  
  
She smiled, “Yes, please.”  
  
“Can I have some?” Peter asked.  
  
“Absolutely... _not_.” Tony joked, “The last thing we need is you high on caffeine.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, and muttered under his breath as he tucked into his third waffle, “Can I put the TV on?”   
  
“No,” Tony said quickly, turning to look at him. Peter was startled by his reaction, so was Pepper, “Um, sorry. No TV, for the time being, kiddo. Not with everything going on.”  
  
“You heard about the Chinese Theatre?” Pepper asked.  
  
Tony nodded; he started pouring the coffee into his mug, “We don’t know when he’s going to make another broadcast.”  
  
“It’s okay,” Peter muttered, his mood dampened by the mention of the Mandarin.   
  
Tony locked eyes with Pepper; he needed confirmation that he was doing the right thing. Her face softened, and she nodded.  
  
“Hey, hey.” Tony skipped over, placing his hands on Peter’s shoulders, “Don’t pout, bud. We can still have fun. It’s almost Christmas! Maybe, we can play a game.”  
  
A small crawled on Peter’s face, “Can we play _Just Dance_?”  
  
Tony let out a heavy nasal exhale, “Yes, okay, we can play _Just Dance_.”  
  
“I have a few bits and pieces to finish off for work.” Pepper said, “And I’ll be ready.”  
  
“Cool!” Peter sang happily.  
  
“ _Sir, you have an incoming call._ ” Jarvis cut in.  
  
“Patch them through, Jay,” Tony told him, patting Peter’s shoulder and heading back over to the coffee pot.  
  
“ _I advise you to answer through a headset, due to the serious nature of the call._ ”  
  
“Okay.” Tony hurried over to the corner of the room and picked up the kitchen headset, “This is Stark.”  
  
“ _Mr. Stark, this is the Dr. Kumar at the UCSF Medical Center_.” A kind female voice greeted him, “ _Harold Hogan_ _has been involved in an accident_ \--”  
  
“What?” Tony frowned, “What, what happened? He is okay?”  
  
“ _He was involved in the bombing_ _at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre.”_  
  
Tony turned away from Peter and Pepper’s prying eyes as he snuck under the weight of the news.  
  
“ _He is out of surgery, and he is currently in a medically induced coma_.”   
  
Tony brought his fingers to the brim of his nose, “I’ll head over now.”   
  
Before she had the chance to speak again, he hung up. He let out a hesitant breath and leaned the headset against his forehead as he tried to gather up the strength to turn around.  
  
He flinched when a gentle hand pressed on his shoulder, “Hey.” Pepper’s soft voice said, warily, “What’s going on?”  
  
“Umm.” Tony trailed off, looking over to Peter before darting his eyes back to Pepper, “Happy was in the...attack.”   
  
Pepper gasped, “Oh my god, why was he, what--is he--” She stuttered as she wrapped her head around the revelation.  
  
“He’s in a coma.” Tony told her, “Ur, I’m gonna go and see him.”  
  
“Yes.” Pepper nodded, “Of course.”  
  
Peter hurried over, “Can I come with you?”  
  
Tony knelt beside him, “Sorry, bud. I need you to stay here.”   
  
“But this is uncle Happy!”  
  
“I know.” Tony brushed Peter’s hair back, out his eyes, “But he’s in a coma, so he’s sleeping. I think he’d feel better if you stayed here, and visited when he’s better.”  
  
“Don’t worry, sweetie.” Pepper placed on his back, “I’ll still be here.”  
  
Peter hesitated for a few seconds, before nodding, “Okay.”

* * *

Peter stayed in the living room, preoccupying himself with his activity workbooks, as he patiently waited for Tony’s return. Pepper had unwillingly left his side to deal with an influx of calls; he could tell that the company was the last thing on her mind with everything else that was going on.  
  
“Hey, sweetie.” Pepper stepped over, “Sorry that I was gone so long.”  
  
“It’s okay.”  
  
“No, it isn’t.” She walked over, sitting down next to him on the floor, “How are you holding up?” Peter shrugged as he kept scribbling away in the book, avoiding her question, “Peter?”  
  
He just hummed back, as he wore down his pencil on the page, the end of the pencil snapped. Pepper wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and took it out of his hand, tossing to the side. Peter locked his hand with hers.   
  
“Are you worried about Happy?”  
  
Peter nodded, he kept his eyes on their hands, he squeezed, “And, um.”  
  
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You can tell me anything.”   
  
His slumped his shoulder, and leaned down, placing her head on her shoulder, “I don’t want this to be an Iron Man job.”   
  
“Oh.” Pepper lay her head over Peter’s, “Neither do I.” She admitted, “But I don’t think it is.”   
  
Peter went to add to his point but stopped when the front door clicked open beside them.   
  
“Hello,” Pepper said softly, keeping her chin nestled in Peter’s hair as she turned to face Tony.   
  
“Hey.” Tony mirrored back, his voice quiet. He moved over and sat down opposite them with his legs crossed, “Are you two, okay?”  
  
“Just worried about Happy,” Peter said quickly, not wanting Tony to know what he had said about Iron Man. He prayed that Pepper didn’t mention it.  
  
“Yeah.” Pepper said, backing him up, “How is he?”  
  
“He’s gonna pull through.”   
  
“Thank God,” Pepper said, a small smile crawling onto her face as she cradled Peter.   
  
Tony bowed his head down into his chest, and his shoulders loosened as he dotted his eyes to his legs.  
  
“Dad?” Peter said warily, “Are you okay?”  
  
“I made a mistake.”  
  
Pepper moved her head up away from Peter’s head, tightening her grip on Peter’s hand, “What do you mean?”  
  
“The press swarmed me at the hospital.” Tony admitted, “And they asked me what I was gonna do.”  
  
“Tony.” Pepper’s voice trembled, “What did you say?”  
  
“I--” Tony sighed, “I threatened him...The Mandarin.”   
  
“Threatened him how?”  
  
“Just told me I’d kill him, I guess.” Tony shrugged, “I almost, I mean I was so close to giving them our address because…of Happy.”   
  
“You didn’t do it, though.” Pepper told him, “You might have threatened him, but he doesn’t know where to find us.”  
  
Tony looked up to her, with wide-eyes, “I almost did.”  
  
“But you didn’t.” Peter pointed out.  
  
“Yeah, and that’s what matters,” Pepper added.  
  
Tony brought his hands together and fumbled with his fingers, nervously, “I guess.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Tony didn't give the press his home address in this AU, because of Peter.


	58. Torn Apart

Peter was once again left to his own devices, as Tony went down to his workshop to tinker, and Pepper had to reluctantly answer calls. Peter went to his room and attempted to pass the time by assembling one of his Lego sets. It wasn’t the same as when he played with Ned.   
  
He stopped what he was doing when the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house. He frowned, and jumped up onto his feet, hurrying down. The only person apart from Happy, who knew where they were was Rhodey. So, Peter predicted it was him.  
  
He stopped at the bottom of the first set of stairs, confronted by the ceiling high bunny plushie that Tony had brought Pepper for Christmas, in the mess of everything, he was yet to question why. He quickly manoeuvred over, sliding down its leg to get into the living room.  
  
“Stay there, bud.” Tony stepped out in a new model of the Iron Man armour.  
  
“Um, okay.” Peter didn’t listen and kept pacing over,  “Who is it?”  
  
“I’m working that out.” Tony paraded over towards the door.  
  
Peter knitted his eyebrows together when he saw a woman stood at the front door, knocking as she waited to be let in. She was around the same age as Pepper; Peter had never seen her before.   
  
The door clicked itself open; she stepped back, watching in fascination as it drew open. She cautiously walked in, eyeballing the door, Jarvis quickly ran a scan on her, seeing if he deemed her a threat.  
  
“Right there's fine.” Tony warned, holding up his hand, “You're not the Mandarin.” He flipped his face flap, “Are you? _Are you?_ ” Peter hurried over, his curiosity getting the best of him.   
  
She sneered knowingly, as she shook her head, “You don't remember.” She hummed a half-hearted laugh, “Why am I not surprised?”  
  
“Don't take it personally, I don't remember what I had for breakfast,” Tony told her.  
  
“ _Gluten-free waffles, sir,_ ” Jarvis said.   
  
Tony narrowed his eyes and nodded, “That's right.”   
  
“Okay, look,” She stepped back and pointed to the door, “I need to be alone with you. Someplace not here, it's urgent.”  
  
Tony turned around, and started to walk away, “I used to go for that sort of thing,” He admitted, he pointed back to Peter, “But I’m a dad.”  
  
“Hi.” Peter smiled awkwardly.   
  
The woman’s face softened, but Peter could tell she had something else on her mind,  “Hey.”   
  
“And hey..” Tony said, “I’m also in a committed relationship.”  
  
“Tony, Peter!” Pepper called, from upstairs, Tony quickly stepped out of the armour, “Is somebody there?”  
  
Tony clapped his hands together, “Yeah, it's Maya Hansen.”   
  
Peter tilted his head into his shoulder, surprised that Tony knew who she was. Maya shared in his shock, having thought Tony didn’t remember her.   
  
“Old botanist pal that I used to know, barely.” Tony said, he gently placed a hand on Maya’s back and guided her off to the side, “Please don't tell me that there is a twelve-year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met.”   
  
“He's thirteen.” Maya said, both Tony and Peter gasped, she rolled her eyes, “And _no_ , I need your help.”  
  
“What...what for? Why now? How did you find me?”   
  
Maya’s shoulders slumped, and she dotted her eyes to the floor, “I followed you from the hospital.”  
  
“Huh, ha, stalker alert,” Tony said, holding his hands up in fake surrender.  
  
“Look, I had to see you.” She told him, “I read the papers, and, frankly, I don't think you'll last the week.”  
  
Tony shook his head, “I'll be fine.”  
  
Maya sighed, defeated, and she gestured over to Peter, “What about him?”  
  
Tony looked over to his son, “Peter?”  
  
“Listen, I might not be the only one who's following you.”   
  
Tony flapped his hands around haphazardly, “What, what-what are you talking about?”  
  
“With Happy in the hospital,” Pepper said, cutting in, she walked over stopping by Tony’s side, “I didn't know we were expecting guests.”  
  
“We weren't,” Tony told her.  
  
“No, I…”  
  
“And old girlfriends!” Pepper exclaimed, not giving neither of them much time to explain.   
  
“She's not really.”  
  
“No, not really.” Maya mirrored, “It...it was just one night.”  
  
“Yep.” Tony clarified.   
  
Peter slowly backed away from the awkwardness as he cringed. If the giant stuffed bunny wasn’t blocking the entrance way to the stairs, he would have made a run for it.   
  
“That's how you did it, isn't it?” Pepper quizzed Tony, through gritted teeth.  
  
Tony shrugged, unashamed, “It was a great night.”  
  
“Well, you know…” Pepper sighed, placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder, she locked eyes with Maya, “You have saved yourself a world of pain.”  
  
Tony’s face screwed up, “What?”  
  
“I'm sure,” Maya commented.  
  
“Okay, stop shitting on me for a second.” Tony pleaded; he looked over at Maya, “You said someone might be following me.”  
  
Pepper’s joyful facade faded, “Wait, what?”  
  
“You need to get out of town.” Maya said, as a matter of urgency, “I can explain...later, but seriously…”  
  
“What the hell is going on?” Pepper asked, “What…”  
  
Tony wrapped an arm  around her, “We’re going out of town.”  
  
“Why, why do we need to out of town?”  
  
Peter turned on the spot, and for the first time since they arrived in Malibu, he wished they had stayed in New York and avoided all this chaos. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window at the sea view.  
  
“She followed me home from the hospital.”   
  
“...You did?” Pepper accused.  
  
“I had to, I think...” Maya stuttered, “We need…”   
  
“Someone else might have too.” Tony pointed out, “Someone dangerous.”  
  
Peter bit his lip; he knew his dad was dying it down for his sake. He knew he meant the Mandarin.  
  
“Okay, okay.” Pepper said, her voice shaking under the weight of the sudden revelation, “We need to go.”  
  
“Great.” Tony clapped his hands together, “Let’s just round up some stuff…”  
  
Their voices drowned out into white noise, when Peter noticed something outside, in the distance, flying directly towards the house. He squinted his eyes and stepped forward to get a better look, “Dad, Pepper! What’s that?”  
  
Tony hurried over; he placed his hands on Peter’s shoulders, “What’s _what_?”  
  
Before Peter could say anything more, Tony’s grip on him tightened, to an almost painful extent. Peter didn’t realise why, until Tony clumsily picked him up, and threw him back across the floor, trying his best not to throw him too harshly.   
  
Peter hit the ground on his side; he gasped for air, winded. He knew that Tony would never purposely hurt him, not unless he was attempting to protect him from something far worse.   
  
That thought came true within a matter of seconds.   
  
There was a loud explosion overhead and a blinding flash. Peter blinked his eyes open, just in time to watch the structure of the house collapse around him.   
  
Peter couldn’t move. The loud buzzing in his ears and his hazy double vision distorted his flight or fight complex, leaving him paralysed on the spot. He couldn’t even strain his throat to call out to Tony.   
  
Just as his mind started to comprehend what was going on around him, the _Iron Man_ gauntlet grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up on his feet. He kept his eye on the ground beneath his feet as he was guided across, what used to be the entrance hall, towards what was left of the front door.  
  
His hearing finally caught up with the rest of his senses, and the sound hit him at full force. He could hear his house crumbling around him, and the soul-crushing beeps of DUM-E and U screeching for help as they were lost among the destruction.  
  
Suddenly, he was flying solo through the air, no longer safely latched onto the _Iron Man_ armour. He had the instinctive to hold his hands out to break his fall.  
  
He yelped, before flipping himself onto his side to see what was going on. Maya was on his left still laid down on the ground, panting out laboured breaths.  
  
Peter’s forehead creased when he noticed that it was Pepper wearing the suit and not Tony. He frantically snapped his head around looking for his dad, but he was nowhere to be seen.  
  
He was still inside.   
  
“Dad!” Peter cried breathlessly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He jolted back when the front of the house tumbled down, blocking the entrance way.  
  
The armour surrounding Pepper began to disassemble, and she was twisted around on the spot as each piece flew off, heading into the house, evidently towards Tony.  
  
“Pepper?” Peter hiccuped as soon as she was free of the suit.  
  
She dashed over; panic etched across her face. She knelt next to him, “Hey, sweetheart.” She said softly, though her voice trembled. She placed her shaking hand on his cheeks, scanning him for injuries. Peter sunk into her grasp, leaning his head into her chest, “I’ve got you.”  
  
“Dad?” Peter questioned, his eyes locked onto the house.  
  
Pepper locked her arms around him, “He’s…” She was cut off by the sound of one of the helicopters, that had fired the missiles, fell into the ocean. “Oh my….”  
  
Pepper jumped back, pulling Peter with her, as the other helicopter lost control, and flew directly into, what was left of the house.   
  
They watched helplessly as the house collapsed down into the ocean below them, and Tony wasn’t anywhere in sight.  
  
He didn’t fly away.  
  
“Dad!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just in case you don't understand how they were able to locate Tony without him revealing his address, like Maya said, they followed Tony home.


	59. Unspoken Words

There was nothing that could be said.  No words could match up to the magnitude of what they had just experienced. There was no explanation for what had happened either; it wasn’t just an unforeseen tragedy or unexplainable devastation. It just ‘ _was_ ’ and there was no other way to explain it.  
  
But, it happened, there was no escaping that. And, Pepper and Peter were left behind, fighting to find a meaning for it all.   
  
Pepper cradled Peter in her arms like she’d done when he was only a baby like she had when Tony went missing in Afghanistan. Peter, of course, had grown a considerable amount, and he was pretty hard to hold up, but Pepper fought to hold him close, fearing to let go.   
  
Peter was still sobbing, while Pepper’s pain was eerily silent. They were surrounded by emergency vehicles and personnel. Even, the press had somehow found their way there too, but even they had the common decency to leave the pair alone.   
  
Pepper weakly slumped down onto a slab of rumble, she gently guided him down, to sit next to her. She brushed her thumb over his cheek, wiping away his tears, and he hiccuped through a sob.   
  
“I wanna go home.” He cried, referring to their house back in New York. The place he used to fear, but that pain would never amount to what he had suffered in Malibu.   
  
“We will soon.” She leaned forward and placed a kiss against his forehead, “I promise.”   
  
Peter looked up at her through glazed eyes; however, her eyes were locked onto something else. “Pepper?”  
  
“Sorry, sweetie.” She dotted her eyes back to him; she squeezed his shoulder, “Can you stay right here, and not move for a second?”  
  
“Um, yeah, okay.” He said unsurely.  
  
“I’ll be right over there.” She pointed towards the daunting ledge, “Do not move.” 

He nodded and watched as she quickly hurried away. Peter kept a careful eye on her, ready to move if anything happen. He had already lost one _parent;_ he wasn’t prepared to lose another.   
  
Pepper bent down and picked something up off the ground. Peter wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, so he could attempt to make out what she was holding.   
  
A mangled sob erupted from Peter’s throat when he realised she was clutching onto one of the Iron Man helmets. A relic of what they had both seemingly lost so quickly, without reason. He snapped his head away, not having the heart to watch.   
  
He pressed his fingers to his lips, his chin trembled, and he blinked his eyes shut, trying his best to wake up from the reality he was locked in.   
  
This time it wasn’t a dream. His dad had fallen, and he hadn’t been there to catch him — not this time.   
  
Moments passed as he cried to himself. He was snapped back when he felt Pepper gently locked her fingers around his wrist, “Peter.” She said, in a surprisingly sing-song tone. He looked at her, and he was utterly taken back by the slight smile etched on her face.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Look.” She placed the helmet down by her side, “I can’t hope to explain how, but your dad is...alive.”  
  
Peter’s throat seized, and he looked down at her, as if she was mad, “What?”  
  
“He’s alive.” She repeated, almost as if she didn’t believe it herself, “He left a message on this.” She said, tapping the helmet.  
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, “He’s alive?”  
  
“Yeah.” Pepper didn't have to wait long to have an armful of Peter again, as he embraced her out of utter relief, and complete confusion.  
  
“What did he say?”  
  
“He’s got some work to do, and then he’s coming back.” She whispered into his ear, “And told me to tell you that he loves you--"

"To the moon and back." Peter finished, she nodded.  
  
Pepper leaned back and held out her hand, “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”  
  
“Okay.” He locked their fingers together, and Pepper guided him through the crowds towards where Maya was waiting for them.  
  
Maya stepped forward, “Ms. Potts…”  
  
“It’s Pepper.” She corrected, “I have no time to explain, but Tony’s alive.”  
  
“He is?” Her shoulders relaxed,  “Thank, God.”  
  
“I need to know _why_ you came here.” Pepper told her, “I’m guessing it wasn’t just for a catch-up.”  
  
“No.” Maya crossed her arms over her chest, “We should get out of here.”  
  
“My car is over here.” Pepper tilted her head, the three of them silently trekked over. Pepper pulled up the rear door and lightly pushed on Peter’s back, “Hop in, sweetie.”   
  
“Okay.” Peter crawled over to the right-hand seat, and curled into the corner; he pulled his seatbelt on.  
  
“Get in," Pepper told Maya, pointing to the passenger seat, she skipped away and retrieved a blanket from the boot. She hurried back and leaned in, wrapping it around Peter, “Try and get some sleep, honey.”  
  
“I will.”   
  
Pepper manoeuvred her way out and closed the door. She quickly hopped into the driver's seat.  
  
Silence surrounded them; Peter leaned his head into the gap between his seat and the car door, he closed his eyes, attempting to drift off, content in the knowledge that his dad was out there somewhere, alive.   
  
His attempt was cut off, when Pepper spoke up, “Why were you at the house tonight? What was so important that you had to speak... to Tony?”  
  
Maya’s breath hitched, “I think that my boss is working for the Mandarin.” She admitted.  
  
Peter’s jaw dropped, and fear slowly crept its way back onto his shoulders; he dotted his eyes over to Pepper’s haunted expression.  
  
“So if you still want to talk about it,” Maya continued, “I suggest that we get ourselves someplace safe.”  
  
“Your boss works for the Mandarin, you think?” Pepper questioned, “But Tony says you're a botanist, so…”  
  
“That figures.” Maya snipped, “What I actually am is a biological DNA coder running a team of forty out of a privately-funded think tank, but sure you can call me a botanist.”  
  
Pepper sighed, “This boss of yours, does he have a name?”  
  
“Yeah, Aldrich Killian.”   
  
Peter had never heard the name before, but it was clear Pepper had. As she reclined her head, and gasped, not concentrating on the road for a handful of seconds.   
  
Part of him wanted to ask her who he was, but he decided that he had had enough of hearing about the Mandarin, so instead, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

 

Peter woke up to the sound of Pepper and Maya’s quiet voices, accompanied by Pepper’s soft touch as she twiddled his hair around her fingers. He blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the light, it didn’t take him long to realise they were in a hotel room. 

He laid under the sheets, Pepper was sitting behind him and hadn’t yet noticed he was awake. Maya was on the bed in front, her legs crossed, as she listened to Pepper speak.  
  
Peter yawned, before turning his head around to catch Pepper’s attention, she smiled warmly, “Hey sweetie.” She said, cutting herself off, mid-sentence, “Just one minute, and I’m all yours.” He nodded knowingly; Pepper looked back up, “Listen to me. You can't be too hard on yourself, Maya. I mean, you gave your research to a think tank.”  
  
“Yeah,” Maya sighed defeated, “But Killian built that think tank on military contracts.”  
  
“That's exactly what we used to do.” Pepper shrugged, “So, don't judge yourself.”  
  
“Thank you, Pepper.” Maya sniffled, “I really appreciate that.”  
  
A sudden knock came at the door; Pepper drew her hand away from Peter’s hair, “I’ll be right back.” She jumped up and skipped over to the door.  
  
Peter pushed himself into a sitting position allowing the sheets to fall off as he stretched his arms up over his head as he listened to Pepper kindly greeting the room service man around the corner.  
  
A bone-chilling shot travelled up his spine, and he lunged away from the bed as soon as Pepper screamed, “Peter, Maya, _run_!”  
  
He skidded across the floor, stopping when he saw an unknown man, holding Pepper up to the wall, clutching her neck, restricting her airflow. She was fighting against his grip but failing miserably.  
  
Peter yearned to do something, to help and save her, but there was nothing he could do, he was only a kid. “Mum!” He cried, his throat cracking at his soul-crushing proclaim.   
  
Peter didn’t say it by accident, or in the heat of the moment. He had thought about saying it plenty of times before; it just never seemed like the right time. It always had a sense of awkwardness linked to it, even though she had always been his mother in every sense of the word.   
  
Pepper let out a ragged sob, and she desperately fought against the man’s grasp, trying her best to protect _her_ son.  
  
Peter went to charge forward, he wasn’t sure what he planned to do, but the man was hurting Pepper, and he couldn’t have that. He was stopped when Maya grabbed his wrist mercilessly and pulled him back.  
  
“Get off me!” Peter wailed, trying to yank his arm away from her grasp.  
  
The man twisted his head back, “So, you want to tell me why you were at Stark's mansion last night?” He asked Maya, not even paying attention to Peter’s cries.  
  
Peter quickly put two-and-two together and worked out that the man was Killian, the man that Pepper and Maya had been talking about before.  
  
“I'm trying to fix this thing!” Maya shouted, “I didn't know you and the master were gonna blow the place up.  
  
“Oh, I see.” Killian slithered, “So, you were trying to save Stark when he threatened us?”  
  
“I've told you, Killian, we can use him.” Maya pointed out.  
  
Pepper freed her other hand, and slapped Killian in the jaw; he didn’t even flinch, “Pepper. Pepper. Pepper.” He spat out, venom laced in his tone.  
  
“Look, if we want to launch the product next year,” Maya started, “I need Stark. He just lacked a decent incentive. Now,..” She darted her eyes between Pepper, and Peter, “He has _two_.”  
  
“You, stay the hell away from my kid!” Pepper threatened, keeping her eyes fixed on Peter.   
  
“Um, sorry. _No_. I can’t do that.” Killian mocked, a mischievous grin grew on his face, “Actually, see I have the perfect plan for both of you.” He darted his eyes to Peter, who flinched back, Killian seemingly enjoyed that reaction, “Ha, yes, I can see it now."


	60. Test Subjects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Experimentation/Torture.

Pepper jolted awake and repeatedly blinked to adjust to the bright lights beaming down above her. She noticed quickly that somehow, she was imprisoned upright. She hissed and lunged himself forward, trying to escape.  
  
It was _effortless_.   
  
She looked down; her arms were locked to her side, restrained by velcro straps. Heavy metallic plates and locks were restricting the rest of her body; she kept struggling against them, knowing deep down that her fight was utterly redundant.   
  
Her attention turned straight to Peter, who was on the opposite side of the room, held in a trap identical to hers. The only daunting difference was that, for some reason, he was surrounded by tubes and wires, while she was not.  
  
“Peter!” She cried out. Peter’s head was hung low into his chest, and clearly, he was still unconscious, “Peter!”  
  
“Shush, shush.” Killian’s chilling voice came from her side; he clicked his tongue and stepped into her line of sight. He gave her his dirty grin, and he rubbed his hands together,  “God if you’re already this loud, I seriously dare to think what you’ll be like when this thing starts.”  
  
“When _what_ starts?” Pepper spat. Killian brushed his hands over her shoulder; she soon noticed the cannula connected to her arm, “Wh--”  
  
“Extremis,” Killian said slyly.   
  
Pepper fought against her restraints again, “No, no, you can’t!  
  
He narrowed his eyes and beamed, ear-to-ear, “You’re boyfriend helped invent all of this, you know? Some years ago. It seems fitting that you are one of our first ...customers, so to say.  But, I’ve gotta say, now, and this is my favourite part.” He snorted, clearly amused, “It’s gonna hurt.”   
  
Pepper flinched, but then she locked eyes with Peter, once again. He was her priority, _always_. “What are you gonna do to him? He’s just a--”  
  
Killian slammed his fist on Pepper’s restraints, she winced, “Pepper, Pepper, Pepper,” He laughed hollowly, “Don’t try and use the he's ‘ _just a kid_ ’ argument. It won’t work on me.”  
  
“Do whatever the hell you want to me,” Pepper barked, through gritted teeth, “I don’t care…” She couldn’t hide the fact that she was terrified, but she had to find a way to appeal to Killian’s last scrap of humanity. She knew deep down her efforts would be fruitless, “Just don’t hurt him.”   
  
“Oh, a mother’s love for her son,” He lay a hand on his chest, and faked a sincere expression, “It really warms my heart. _Honestly_. But it won’t work on me, darling. Sorry.”  
  
“Killian…”  
  
“I will be the first to admit that…” He stepped away, approaching Peter’s side, he spun on his foot to face Pepper and pointed back over at her son, “Peter will be our youngest champion so far. But I’m willing to take up a challenge. You see, children have a higher core temperature than us adults, so that proposes a unique problem.”  
  
Pepper tilted her head into her shoulder, “Leave him alone.”  
  
Killian clicked his fingers in frustration; he slammed his foot down on the floor,  “Stop interrupting me!” He gestured to the cubes surrounding Peter, “See all of this. This will lower his body temperature down, and then, just like that, we will be able to start the process sooner.”  
  
Pepper’s heart plummeted in her chest, “You’re gonna kill him!”  
  
“No, _no_ ,” He pressed his palms together in the prayer formation, and held them up to his lips, “Don’t you see.” He walked over to her until they were almost nose-to-nose, “I’m simply improving him. Really, you should be grateful.”  
  
“You’re such a--”  
  
Killian shushed her and reached over to where her cannula was. She squirmed, as he grabbed her arm, “This process will start soon,” She turned away, she dragged her teeth over her lower lip, as pain channelled up her arm, “I advise you to try and not speak for a short while because, well...You’ll be too busy screaming.”   
  
“Let him go, please!” Pepper cried, utterly desperate, using the last of her strength to fight for Peter.   
  
Killian retracted, “Oh, _please_?” He hummed as if he was making a difficult decision, though it was more than obvious that he was toying with her, “No.” He dropped her arm, “Have fun.”  
  
“Wait,” She yearned forward, “No.” She watched as he stepped out of the room, calmly whistling under his breath as he left, “Killian!”   
  
Pepper collapsed in her prison, as the pain quickly crawled up her arms, and claimed her body. She bawled out, screaming continuously, even when her throat started to ache. That agony was nothing compared to what was coursing through her body.   
  
She only found the will to halt her crying when she was caught off guard, by Peter’s soul-crushing cries, as he called for her, over and over again, “Mum!”   
  
She bit down on her lip, holding back her cries, her eyes settled onto the now, every wake, Peter. “Hey…” She said through a shaky breath, “Hey sweetheart,  _it’s okay_. I’m right here.”   
  
“Mum.” Peter said breathlessly, “What’s going on?”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Pepper managed to choke out, “I’m so sorry, honey.”  
  
“It really--” His head loosely fell forward, against his control, he yelped, “It hurts, Mum.”  
  
“I know,” She cried, knowing the worst was yet to come, “I know, I’m really sorry.”  
  
“I’m cold,” Peter said through chattering teeth.  
  
“I--” Pepper was once again overwhelmed as a sharp jolt travelled her spine, and she thrashed trying to numb the pain.  
  
“Mum!”    
  
She froze, looking over at Peter’s distraught expression, “I’m okay; I’m okay.”   
  
Peter’s throat cracked,  “What’s wrong?”  
  
“It’s okay.” She repeated because there was nothing else she could say to make him feel better. There was _nothing_ that she could say or do.   
  
“Mum…” He trailed off, “I’m--I’m scared.”  
  
“Me too.” She said softly, “But I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, “I know.”   
  
Pepper’s eyes drooped as she fought against her fatigue, “I love you.”  
  
She was just able to hear Peter’s “I love you too _,_ ” before she slipped away into the darkness.   



	61. Don't Close Your Eyes

Pepper jerked awake once more, she had finally succumbed to the pain, and all she could feel now, was a dull ache, all over. She couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing.   
  
She darted her eyes to Peter. Somehow, he was still awake, though he was no longer sobbing. His suffering was now silent. Guilt weighed down on Pepper’s shoulders, as she started to speculate how long he had been left to break, all by himself, while she was unconscious.   
  
Killian stepped in front of her; he bounced his eyebrows up, “Hi.”  
  
Pepper threw her head back, not wanting to look him in the eye. She gasped, attempting to breathe at her usual pace. She felt is prying gaze, she turned to him, “You think he's gonna help you?” She shook her head, “He won’t.” She let out a small chuckle because she knew Tony all too well, he wasn’t far away.   
  
Killian’s face dropped, and he moved forward, leaning his hand up near her shoulder, “Having you two here is not just to motivate Tony Stark. It's, um…” He snorted, “Well, it's actually more embarrassing than that. You're here as my, um…”  
  
“Trophies.” A sickening feeling rested in her stomach at the disgusting thought escaped her lips.  
  
He sneered, “Mmm.” He scrunched up his nose as he nodded, confirming her theory.  
  
The sound of armour flying down, and landing on the ground, echoed from outside. Killian turned around, giving Pepper the perfect view, as the Iron Patriot armour stepped into the room with two men, in black, behind it.  
  
Rhodey logically was the first person who crossed her mind, and for a single second, she allowed herself to think that they were about to be saved. She dotted her eyes over to Peter, who was staring intently at the armour, his eyes telling the same story, he thought it was Rhodey too.  
  
Their hope went as quickly as it came, as Killian clapped his hands together, and smiled, “Good evening, sir.”

The casing opened, and President Matthew Ellis collapsed out onto his knees.  
  
Pepper gasped, snapping her eyes to Killian in surprise.  
  
Killian brought his hand to his forehead, “Welcome aboard, Mr President.” He saluted mockingly.  
  
Ellis carefully guided himself up onto his feet, “What is going on here?” He asked, his eyes laid on Pepper, “Ms. Potts…”  
  
Pepper leaned her head back, “Sir..”  
  
“No.” Killian held up his hand, shutting Pepper up, “You’re not here to question my guests.”  
  
Ellis ignored him and kept scanning the room; he stopped when he saw Peter, “Is that Stark’s boy?” He asked, in complete shock, “I demand to know what is going on here.”  
  
“Just follow me,” Killian said, holding his hand back towards the staircase at the end of the room.   
  
Ellis stepped back, “I do not have to go anywhere with you.”  
  
Killian bit his bottom lip, and turned to Pepper, “Well, um, ugh, Sorry, Pepper.” He shrugged.  
  
“What?” She asked breathlessly.  
  
Killian held out his arm and gestured to the two men who were stood stationary behind Ellis. Pepper watched helplessly as one of them moved, heading straight for Peter.  
  
“No, no!” Pepper cried, fighting against the restraints, “Peter!”  
  
“Mum!” Peter screamed as the man mercilessly wrapped his fingers around the back of his neck.  
  
“Stop, please!” Pepper cried, “Please…”

“Okay, stop!” Ellis bellowed, “I’ll come with you! Just leave the boy alone.”  
  
Killian rolled his eyes, “Oh, you’re no fun.” He flapped his hand, and the man dropped his grip on Peter, and the boy bowed his face into his chest. Killian clicked his fingers and pointed down the room, “This way.”  
  
As they walked past, Pepper mouthed her gratitude to Ellis, who nodded to her, before following behind Killian.  
  
Pepper waited until they were gone before turning attention back to Peter, “Peter, _Peter_ , are you okay?”  
  
Peter blinked his tears away before forcing his head up; it seemed that moving his head was becoming an effort, “Yeah.”  
  
“Good.” She sniffled, “Look at me.” Peter’s posture loosened, and his head hung low, “Peter, sweetheart, please look at me. _Peter_!”   
  
Peter didn’t answer. He didn’t even flinch. That didn’t stop Pepper, though; she just kept screaming. Even when her throat ran dry, she kept struggling to make a noise, to do something to wake him up. She refused to lose her kid like this, and as the seconds past, that reality seemed to be getting closer.  
  
She wondered if Peter had done the same when she was unconscious, and with that thought, she kept screaming, hoping he’d move, or mutter back a response. Just a simple sign of life was all she needed.   
  
Finally, after what seemed like _forever,_ which is fact was probably just a little under an hour. Peter’s mumbled intangible words under his breath as he finally started to come to.   
  
“Peter.” Pepper broke down into a fit of coughs.  
  
“Yeah,” He slurred, “I’m here.”  
  
Pepper gasped out her relief “Sweetie; I really need you to stay awake, okay?”

Peter looked over to her, “I’m really tired.”  
  
“I know, baby.” She said, “But you gotta stay awake for me, I can’t--”  
  
“Mum…” Peter winced.  
  
“Look at me,” She pleaded, “Peter, look at me, please.”   
  
“Okay, okay.” He looked over at her, with narrowed eyes, he blinked them, trying his best to stay awake.  
  
Pepper smiled falsely as soon as his eyes were locked onto hers, “Hey, sweetheart.”   
  
“Hi, Mum.”  
  
“Okay.” She let out a shaky breath, “Just don’t fall asleep, stay awake for me. Can you do that?”  
  
“I, I think so.” He managed to say,  as his teeth chattered.   
  
“Good.” She said reassuringly, “You’re doing so well.”  
  
Peter widen his eyes, trying to focus, “Are you okay?”  
  
“Yes.” She lied, “I’m fine, baby. What about you?”  
  
He leaned his head back, “Kinda cold.”  
  
“I’m sorry, honey.” Pepper had never wanted to hug Peter as much as she did in that very moment. It hurt knowing she was so close, and she could gather him up in her arms.   
  
“And tired.”   
  
“I know,” She said panicked, “Just try to keep those eyes open for me.”  
  
“Got it.” Peter nodded, “I will.”  
  
Suddenly, a sound erupted outside the closed doors, echoing through the metallic chamber that they were trapped in.   
  
Pepper listened carefully, locking onto one particular noise; the familiar hum of the Iron Man armour. By what she could hear, it wasn’t only one, but an entire army. All the suits Tony had built over his time spent down in his workshop. She let go of a hopeful chuckled, praying that it was Tony, that he was close by.   
  
“What is that?” Peter asked, more awake than he had been before.  
  
“Peter!” She exclaimed, “That’s the--”  
  
“Dad!?” He yelped, “Mum, is that Dad?”  
  
“Maybe.” She said warily, just in case it wasn’t, “I think so, it sounds like it.”  
  
“Cool.” He let out a prolonged sigh, “I really wanna go home.”   
  
“Me too.” She told him, “And, we will. So soon.”  
  
They both stopped, listening to the commotion outside. Pepper never thought the sound of the armour would be such music to her ears. She hadn’t understood the reality behind Tony’s addition, now she did. He built them to protect the people he loved most, she and Peter were, of course, at the top of that list.   
  
“Mum?” Peter perked up.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“This Christmas…” He trailed off, “Really, really...sucks.”  
  
“Yeah, it does.” She said, “We can make up for it next year.”  
  
“Um, hm.”  
  
A loud explosion came from outside, it almost sounded like a firework display echoed beneath them. 

Pepper went to say something else, but suddenly the room was alight with a blinding flash of orange, as something hit into the side of the container they were in.  
  
“Peter!” Pepper cried as she was thrown across the room, and her line of sight to Peter was blocked by the destruction left behind. 


	62. So Close, Yet So Far

The first thing Peter noticed when he came to, in his dazed manner, was that he was free of the restraints that had kept him locked away from Pepper. Unfortunately, the second thing he realised, was that he was trapped, laid on his front, underneath all the destruction.  
  
“Mum?” He cried out; he lifted his head.  
  
Thankfully, by some miracle, the explosion had thrown him across to the other side of the room, and he had landed directly in front of Pepper.  
  
Like him, she had been able to escape her restraints, though she didn’t seem to be conscious.   
  
Peter crawled forward on his front, trying his best to get to her. He had to ignore the tingling feeling that was shooting up, and down his spine, to the best of his ability. Being exposed to the warm air was more of a shock than he had predicted it would be, but he kept pushing himself to get to Pepper.  
  
He was just able to reach and lock his right hand around hers, but he could not move any further, as his left leg was trapped, “Mum!”  
  
Pepper jerked awake, and she slowly peered up at him, “Peter?” She squeezed his hand, “Oh my God, are you okay?”   
  
“My leg’s stuck!”   
  
“Don’t worry.” She reassured him, “Just try not to move too much.”  
  
“Okay…”   
  
They both let out the same sigh of relief and tightened their grip on each other’s hand when they heard the thud of the Iron Man armour hitting the metallic floor, and hurrying over towards them.  
  
Peter twisted his head back, catching a flash of the red and gold suit, “Dad?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Tony sang, though his voice trembled unsurely,  “It’s me, bud.” He placed the gauntlet around a plate of metal, “Just one second.”   
  
He lifted it with ease; the weight above them shifted up, Pepper winced, “Stop!” She shouted, “Put it down. Put it down. Put it down.”  
  
Tony cautiously placed the structure back, he bent down, and flipped up his face flap, he dotted his eyes between the pair,  “Hey.”  
  
Peter’s breath hitched, and he let out a small chuckle, which quickly turned into a sob, “Dad.”  
  
“That’s me.” He told him, “Let’s get you both out of here, hey?”  
  
“Get Peter out first.”  
  
“Mum…” Peter hiccuped.  
  
He heard Tony gasp, as he was yet to hear Peter call Pepper ‘mum.’ Peter knew, if they weren’t in this situation, he would have pestered them with questions. Instead, he chose to be quiet and not react any further.   
  
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Pepper reassured him, “You’re closer. I’ll be fine.”  
  
Peter hesitantly nodded before stretching out his right hand toward Tony. His dad moved forward, and he extended out his arm, “Come on bud. You’re almost there.”  
  
“My leg’s stuck!” Peter cried.  
  
“It’s okay,” Tony told him, “I’ve almost got you.”   
  
Peter realised, if he let go of Pepper’s hand, he would have more wiggle room to get to Tony, but part of him couldn’t find the will to let go. “Dad…”  
  
“Here, we go.” The gauntlet brushed against Peter’s fingers.  
  
Their valiant effort when to waste, when Killian’s arm melted its way through the floor, and grabbed hold of Tony’s suit and tore out its arc reactor.  
  
Peter’s fingers slipped away as Tony fell onto his back. “Dad!”   
  
Killian emerged from out of the ground; his skin was burning a bright orange, the same light reflected in his narrowed eyes. He snapped his head to look at Pepper and Peter; he pointed over to Tony, “Is this guy bothering you?”   
  
He crawled over, and hovered over Tony, he placed a finger on the chest plate, and started to melt away the suit, “Don't get up.”   
  
“Dad!” Peter cried, breathlessly. Pepper tightened her grip on his hand.  
  
“Ooh.” Killian mocked, “Is it hot in there? Stuck? Do you feel a little stuck? Like a little turtle, cooking in his little turtle suit.”   
  
“Oh, Tony.” Pepper gasped.  
  
Killian looked over at them, “They’re watching.” He teased, “I think you should close your eyes.”  
  
Peter stared at them with wide-eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do, “Leave him alone!”   
  
Killian ignored him; his attention locked strictly on Tony. “Close your eyes.” He barked, “Close your eyes. You don't want to see this.” He bent backwards, holding up his arms, swinging down for the kill.  
  
“No!” Peter screeched.  
  
Tony reliated, with a knife, quite literally hidden up his gauntlet sleeve. He sliced it upward, cutting off Killian's arm in one swoop.  
  
Killian screamed, and stood up, leaving Tony the room to escape, “Yeah, you take a minute.”  
  
Peter quickly noticed that  Killian's disregarded was melting away the floor, “Wait, Dad--”  
  
Before he could warn him, the floor gave way, both he and Pepper toppled down onto the level below, which happened to lead to a terrifying _two hundred feet_ drop.   
  
Peter slipped down; he had no time to reach out and catch himself, “Mum!”  
  
Pepper’s fingers quickly locked around his arm, in an unforgiving grip. She grunted as she used her other hand to hold onto what remained of the structure with her other arm. She was trying to make sure that neither of them fell.  
  
Peter’s legs were dangling underneath him, the only thing between him, and falling, was Pepper. He wasn’t too young to understand that if she lost grip for one second, it was over.  
  
“Peter!” Pepper shrieked, “Just look at me, okay?”   
  
Peter fixed his eyes on her face; it didn’t help though. She looked as terrified as he felt, “I’m gonna fall. I’m gonna fall!”  
  
“No, no! You’re _not!_.” She cried, “Just don’t look down.”  
  
Peter latched his fingers around her wrist as he fought the painful instinct to look down, “Where’s Dad?”  
  
“He’s coming; he’s coming.” Pepper stuttered, “I promise.”   
  
“I don’t wanna…” Peter yelped, “Mum, I--”  
  
“It’s okay, baby.” She said, “I’m not gonna let go.” It's theorised that a mother can lift a bus when her baby is in danger. Well, this was Pepper's bus, and Peter was her baby.   
  
The pair jumped when an explosion sparked right underneath them. Pepper was still able to keep a firm grip around Peter’s arm. However, she was unable to stop him from looking down.  
  
“Peter!” Pepper screamed. Peter let out a mangled sob as he kicked out his legs, and he kept staring down at the fire beneath his feet, “Peter, look at me!”  
  
He snapped his head back up, “I--”  
  
“I am not gonna let you go.” She wept, “I promise, I won't.”  
  
Somehow, among everything that was happening, Peter believed her.  
  
“Hey!” Tony screamed.  
  
Peter didn’t turn to look at him, worried the sudden movement might cause Pepper to lose her grip. He just kept staring up at his mum.  
  
He yelped as a hand firmly locked around his ankle, he absentmindedly kicked, trying to break free, “No, Peter!” Tony cried, “It’s just me, bud. It’s me!”  
  
Peter relaxed his legs, “Dad, Dad, I’m gonna fall!”  
  
“No, _baby_ , you’re not gonna fall.” Tony reassured him, “I’ve got you.” He let out a shaky breath, “Pep, you have to let him go, or I can’t get either of you down!”  
  
“No!” Peter sobbed, “No, please, _no_.”  
  
“Sweetheart,” Pepper cried, “We’re going to be okay.”  
  
“Mum!”  
  
Pepper loosened her grip; Peter didn’t have time to scramble up to hold on before he knew it; he was falling.  
  
Not for long. Tony’s grip shifted from Peter’s ankle to his right wrist, “I’ve got you.” Peter darted his eyes up to see his dad hovering over a small platform, which was a few meters down from where Pepper was.  
  
“Dad!”  
  
“I’ve got you.” He bent down and grabbed hold of Peter’s other arm; he swung him over the threshold; he safely guided Peter down onto his legs by his side.  
  
Peter’s knees buckled underneath him as soon as his feet were on solid ground, Tony would have usually been by his side in an instant, but he still had to save Pepper.  
  
Peter locked his eyes onto his mum, who was too far away for Tony to simply grab hold of.   
  
Tony clambered up the yellow bars, stretching his hand out, “Pep, I got you!” He shouted, she grunted as she tried to hold herself up, “Relax, I got you.”   
  
She screamed as she slid down the structure.   
  
“Just look at me!” Tony yearned, “Honey, I can't reach any further, and you can't stay there. All right! You've got to let go.” His throat cracked, and he held out his arm as far as he could, “You've got to let go! I'll catch you, I _promise!_ ”  
  
The structure Pepper was holding onto suddenly shifted, and she lost her grip.   
  
Tony bellowed, “No!”   
  
He reached forward, but he was too late.   
  
Pepper’s fingers slipped through his, and she _fell._  
  
“Mum!” 


	63. Christmas Day

Peter didn’t see Pepper fall, but he heard her. Every other sound around him drowned away in nothing, and the only thing he heard was her soul-crushing scream.   
  
He doubled over, as a sharp pain hit his stomach, he wrapped his arms around his front, he sobbed unceasingly into his chest, “Dad!” He flinched, when a warm hand pressed against his cheek, he dotted his eyes up to see Tony knelt in front of him, he was busy scanning Peter for external injuries, “Dad.”   
  
“I’m here.” Tony’s voice cracked, he pulled off the black hoodie and wrapped it around Peter, “I need you stay here.” With shaking hands, he quickly guided Peter’s arms through the sleeves; he zipped it up, “Do not move. I’m gonna send one of my suits to come and get you.”  
  
Peter looked up at his down with teary wide-eyes, “Don’t go.”   
  
Tony let out a shaky breath, “I have to, bud.” He admitted, “I’ve gotta finish this.”  
  
Peter shook his head; he took hold of Tony’s wrist, “Dad…”  
  
Tony moved forward, placing a kiss on Peter’s forehead, “I’m sorry.”  
  
Peter’s grip wasn’t strong enough to hold onto him, and Tony slipped away with ease, “Dad!” He screeched, as he watched him jump over the barrier, and hurry away, “Dad, _no_!”   
  
He tried to get up onto his legs, but they kept buckling underneath him.   
  
“Please.” He pressed his face in his palms. He really wanted to wake up. He wanted this to be one of his stupid nightmares, but it wasn’t.   
  
“ _Peter_.” Jarvis’ familiar tone came from above him, joined with the sound of the thrusters from the armour.  
  
Peter looked up, to see a blue and gold Iron Man suit hovering in front of him, he frowned, “Jarvis?”  
  
“ _I have come to take you to safety_ ,” Jarvis said, his tone softer than it usually was.   
  
The armour arms lowered down. Peter reached up and grabbed hold of them; he pulled himself up.  
  
“ _Hang tight_.” The armour moved forward and locked its arms around Peter’s middle.   
  
Peter scrunched his eyes shut as they took to the skies; he tried his best to block out the distance sounds of the ongoing fight as they flew down to the ground.  
  
“ _Peter, we have landed, you can let go,_ ” Jarvis told him.  
  
Peter stepped away; he kept a firm grip on the arms of the gauntlet to hold himself up. He darted his eyes around, trying to work out where he was.  
  
They had stopped beside a shipment container, Peter stumbled over, letting go of the armour, and hitting his back against the container, he slid down it a sitting position.  
  
“ _Stay low_.” Jarvis told him, “ _I will protect you._ ”  
  
A sob erupted from Peter’s throat, he hugged himself, as he broke under the weight of all that happened. Even after everything he had endured by Killian’s hand, nothing hurt as much as losing Pepper.   
  
“Jarvis.” Peter managed to choke out, “Mum’s gone.”  
  
“ _I am very sorry._ ”   
  
Peter tilted his head back to the night sky, his heart yearning for his dad. He just wanted to go home, “I don’t---”  
  
He was cut off by yet another explosion overhead. He crawled away and sprung up onto his feet to get a proper look.   
  
The large metal structure above him creaked, and started to collapse, Peter quickly searched the sky for Tony, but there were so many suits he wasn’t sure which was his dad.  
  
He darted away, hiding behind the one that was protecting him, “ _Stay behind_.” Jarvis ordered him; the AI used his blasters to knock away falling debris, stopping it from potentially harming Peter.   
  
Peter peered his head, just at the perfect time to see Tony crash to the ground. Peter darted away as fast as he could, the suit didn’t even have time to stop him as it was busy fighting against the falling structure.  
  
“Dad, Dad, Dad!” Peter chanted, he manoeuvred his way around the many fires spread across the ground, his mind fixated on getting to his dad.   
  
Tony was laid down on his back, keeping himself propped up by his elbows as he stared ahead, at the Iron Man armour scattered across the ground. Peter leapt on top of him, giving Tony no time to register that he was there. Peter locked his arms and legs around his dad before burying his face into his neck.  
  
“Peter!” Tony yelped, pinning his arm around him, “Where di--”  
  
“Is it over?” Peter sobbed interrupting him.  
  
Tony slowly moved up into a sitting position keeping Peter safely wrapped in his arms, “I don’t know.”   
  
An ominous creak came from behind; Peter turned his head as Tony scrambled back.  
  
Killian emerged through the frames, he groaned in evident pain, as he stumbled towards them. He was barely recognisable; his skin was glowing a fluorescent orange, and was charred but was slowly growing back, as his powers attempted to patch him back together.  
  
“No more false faces.” He growled, he limped over, “You said you wanted the Mandarin. You're looking right at him. It was always me, Tony. Right from the start.” He loomed over them and outstretched his arms, “I am the Mandarin!”   
  
Tony prepared himself for an attack, he picked up Peter, and swung him down to his side, holding out his arm, protectively shielding his son behind it.   
  
The onslaught never came. Killian was suddenly knocked back off his feet by a foot long yellow pole.   
  
Peter turned his head to see who their saviour was, his heart leapt up into his throat, when his eyes locked onto an alive Pepper, “Mum!?”  
  
Like Killian, Pepper’s skin and eyes were glowing bright orange. She breathed heavily, and tossed the pole down onto the ground, as she stared at them.   
  
Tony shrugged, “Um, I got nothing.”  
  
Even Peter was surprised by that, Tony always had a one-liner, day or night.   
  
One of the suits sweep down towards them, “Jarvis, subject at my 12 o'clock is not a target,” Tony said, the armour kept going, its sights locked onto Pepper, “Disengage!”  
  
Peter noticed Tony’s comms unit on the ground, just as the suit shot a blast towards Pepper, “Mum!”  
  
Pepper leapt away, being narrowly missed by the shot. She grunted as she tried to look at Tony, fury shining in her eyes. “What?” Tony shrugged, Pepper started charging over, “Oh, what, are you mad at me?”  
  
Pepper connected her foot with Tony’s knee and jumped off; she punched her arm through the suit as it descended above them.  
  
"Woah!” Peter exclaimed.   
  
Pepper leapt to the ground, pinning the armour down. She ripped her hand out and moved it down, wrapping one of the suit’s gauntlets around her arm. She twisted on her foot, and swung her arm, knocking Killian back.  
  
“Whoo!” Tony cheered.  
  
Peter yelped and burrowed his face in Tony’s shoulder, as Pepper twisted around, ready to take on Killian.   
  
Peter turned back once the commotion was over, and silence had surrounded them.  
  
_Killian was gone._  
  
Pepper had her back turned to them, her arm was still outstretched. Her skin slowly started to fade back to its natural pigment.   
  
“Honey?” Tony said warily.   
  
Pepper turned to look at them; her face softened, she quickly lowered her arm,  “Oh, my God.” She gasped, “That was really violent.”  
  
Tony shook his head, “You just scared the devil out of me. We thought you were…”  
  
“I was dead.” Pepper said, passively, “Why? Because I fell 200 feet? Who's the hot mess now?”  
  
“It's still debatable.”   
  
Peter grabbed Tony’s comms, and handed it back, Tony hummed his thanks and placed it back in his ear.  
  
“Probably tipping your way a little bit,” Tony admitted, he bent down, and Peter wasted no time, and scurried into his arms.  
  
“Peter!” Pepper yelped breathlessly,  “Is he okay?!”  
  
Tony sighed as he clambered up onto his feet, “He will be.” Peter locked his legs around Tony’s middle, as he turned his head to look at Pepper, he smiled warmly, not sure what words he could use at the moment.   
  
“So, why don't you dress like this at home?” Tony asked, he moved his grip around Peter, so he only needed to use one arm to hold him up, he flapped his other arm out in front of him, “Hmm? Sports bra. The whole deal.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, “Icky.”   
  
Tony snorted, Pepper stepped over, “You know, I think I understand why you don't want to give up the suits. What am I going to complain about now?”  
  
“Well, it's me.” Tony mocked,  “You'll think of something.”   
  
He held out his spear hand to grab hold of Pepper’s arm; she moved back, “No, don't touch me!”  
  
“Don't worry about it.”   
  
“No, I'm gonna burn you.” She shrieked, she relaxed when Tony’s hand loosely locked around her arm.  
  
“No, you're not.” He reassured her, “Not hot.”  
  
Pepper’s chin trembled, “Am I gonna be okay?”  
  
“No.” Tony scoffed, “You're in a relationship with me.  Everything will never be okay. But I think I can figure this out, yeah. I almost had this twenty years ago when I was drunk. I think I can get you better. That's what I do. I fix stuff.”  
  
“And all your distractions?”   
  
“Uh…” He trailed off, “I'm going to shave them down a little bit.” He tapped his ear, “Jarvis, hey.”  
  
Peter could hear Jarvis respond, but couldn’t catch what he was saying.  
  
“You know what to do.” Tony sang.  
  
Peter frowned, wondering what Tony had up his sleeve.  
  
“Screw it; it's _Christmas_.” Tony moved forward, wrapping an arm around Pepper, “Yes, yes.”  
  
Pepper wrapped her arm around Tony as the suits above head started to swarm around them.  
  
Peter looked up at the sky, intrigued. He watched in awe as the suits blew up, one by one, like a fireworks display. He let out a nervous chuckle.  
  
He laid his head down on Pepper’s shoulder, sneaking the insurance that she was real. He allowed himself to drift off, knowing he was safe in his _parents_ ' arms. 


	64. Safe (IM3)

The three days after the battle against the Mandarin was over, went by in a flash for Peter. It was probably because he spent most of the time asleep, steadily recovering from what he endured under Killian’s hand.   
  
He wasn’t a fan of being in a hospital, but he didn’t complain. He knew that his parents needed the reassurance that he was alright. Luckily, he didn’t have hypothermia, which was a relief to everyone.   
  
He suffered from fatigue, and an intense adrenaline rush, which wasn’t fun either. He spent the majority of the time curled into Tony’s side, and when Tony was dealing with Pepper’s recovery, Rhodey took his place.   
  
Although Peter adored his dad and his uncle, his heart yearned for Pepper. He hadn’t seen her since the battle, as she had been rushed away by a team of medics tasked with saving her from the aftermath of Extremis.  
  
“I’m so awake,” Peter mumbled into Tony’s shoulder.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
Peter leaned his head back to look up at Tony; they were both sprawled across Peter’s hospital bed, with _Spongebob_ playing on the television in the corner.   
  
“I wanna go home,” Peter said, stretching his arms over his head.   
  
“Me too.” Tony said, twiddling his fingers around Peter’s hair, “Bud, would you mind if we, um, stayed for a couple more days?”  
  
“Why?” Peter asked alarmed, “Is Mum okay?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine.” Tony reassured him quickly, “This is actually..about me.”  
  
Peter frowned, “You?”  
  
“Well, you see, I was thinking.” He brought his hand down and tapped his arc reactor, “Of getting rid of this.”  
  
Peter tilted his head into his shoulder, “Why? I thought it...kept you alive.”  
  
“Yeah, it does.”   
  
“So, why’d you wanna get rid of it?”  
  
Tony hummed, and flapped his hand out, “I guess, it’s a vulnerability.”   
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Bad guys could use it against me.” Tony pointed out.  
  
“Um,” Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, “Like Obi?”  
  
“Like Obi.” Tony mirrored, “I need to know if you’ll be okay if I got rid of it.”  
  
Peter moved forward and prodded the arc reactor with his index finger, “I kinda got used to it.” He shrugged, “And I…”  
  
Tony chuckled, “Like the sound it makes?”   
  
“It makes me feel safe.”  
  
Tony didn’t say anything; he tried by his sentences strung together in an intangible mess.   
  
“Dad?” Peter raised his eyebrows, “You okay?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” He sniffled, “I’m good.”  
  
“I think you should do it.” Peter told him, Tony’s forehead creased, “It would make you feel safer, right?”  
  
Tony nodded, “I think so, but...”  
  
“Then do it!” Peter cut him off, “I want you to be happy.”  
  
“And I want you to feel safe.” 

“I will,” Peter smiled, “Because you’ll be safe.”  
  
Tony leaned down, planting a kiss in Peter’s hair, “God,” He leaned back, and exhaled a short laugh, “You’re amazing kiddo.”  
  
Peter giggled, “I know.”   
  
“Oh, you _know_ , do you?” Tony laughed; he nudged Peter’s chin, “Good.”   
  
The door slid open, and Rhodey leaned in, his eyes snapping over to Tony, he nodded, Tony smiled, knowingly. This interaction didn’t go unnoticed by Peter, “What’s going on?”  
  
Rhodey stepped in, he grinned, “Pete, you’ve got a guest.”  
  
Pepper walked in, her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, and she was dressed in an oversized grey jumper, that almost stretched down to her knees.  
  
“Mum!” Peter launched off the bed and bounced over, throwing himself around her, “I’ve missed you.”  
  
“Hey, sweetie.” She combed her fingers through his hair, “I’ve missed you too.”  
  
Peter moved to look up at her, her hand moved down, cupping his cheek, “Are you better now?”  
  
“Yes, I’m okay.” She smiled, “Are you?”  
  
“Yep!” He exclaimed, his shoulders slumped, “I’m kinda bored.”  
  
“Of course, you are.” She chuckled, “You’ve been cooped up in here.”   
  
“Only a few more days.” Tony said, sauntering over towards them, he pulled Pepper into a kiss, they parted, and he wrapped an arm around her back, “And we’ll be heading home.”

* * *

Peter stuck to Pepper like glue, on the afternoon of Tony’s surgery.  They were both nervous, knowing first hand that arc reactor had been keeping Tony alive for almost five years, not taking into account that it was also killing him during the whole Stark Expo fiasco.  
  
They decided not to have a goodbye before Tony headed down, because they knew he was going to be okay. There was no point of worrying themselves in a frenzy. Before they knew it, Tony was wheeled away.   
  
Peter clung on Pepper’s hand, as they were guided down the corridor towards space they could see into Tony’s surgical suite.   
  
Pepper squeezed his hand, “It might look a little scary in there, so, you don’t have to look in, if you don’t want to.”  
  
“I will.” He sang, “I gotta be brave for Dad.”  
  
Pepper’s face melted, “Okay, sweetheart, if you’re sure.”  
  
When they arrived at the window, it was quickly apparent that Peter was not tall enough to see through. “Don’t worry; I got you.” Rhodey looped his arms under Peter’s armpits and hoisted him so that he could see through. Peter moved forward and placed his hand flat against the window as he peered through.  
  
Tony was laid down, with his arms laid out to his sides. The surgeons were all dotted around, preparing for the procedure. Tony was still conscious, as he turned his head, locking eyes with Peter.   
  
Peter smiled reassuringly; he wasn’t scared, not anymore; he understood why his dad needed this to be done.   
  
Tony beamed, he dotted his eyes to Rhodey and Pepper, before turning his head away from the window. He held up his thumb up for the trio to see, just as a mask was placed over his face by a nurse.   
  
Rhodey placed Peter back down on his feet; Peter wedged himself between his mum and his uncle, wrapping his arms around them, holding them close as they watched on.  
  
They were safe — all of them.   
  
_For now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking the path I did with writing Iron Man 3, meant we didn't get to see Harley. But never say never. Harley will be making a few cameos, here and there. Do not worry. 
> 
> Up next, 'Age of Ultron.'
> 
> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	65. No Rest For The Wicked (AOU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the biggest time jump in this fanfiction!  
> Peter is a teenager now. They grow up so fast.

**THREE YEARS LATER**

After it was revealed that Hydra had been hiding within SHIELD's walls for over fifty years, Tony knew it wouldn’t be long until the Avengers would have to, once again, _assemble_. He spent his days waiting for a call, or cryptic message from Romanoff. 

After Rogers took down the helicarriers, Tony managed to go almost a year with complete radio silence. 

Which had been great, _most of the time_.  
  
He felt like he dodged a bullet. He had been able to concentrate on helping Peter with his applications for High Schools, and assisting Pepper with running the company.   
  
The other, more pessimistic, side of him, hadn’t been able to shake the sickening in the bit of his stomach, as time ticked away.  
  
When he eventually got a message, he was both relieved and terrified. It was Rogers, telling him to meet them at a disclosed location _immediately_.   
  
The ‘ _immediately’_ had knocked Tony of kilter, as it had was two in the morning, and he was lying in bed with Pepper.   
  
It all happened too quickly.  
  
Rushing a goodbye to Peter and Pepper, was the part he hated most. He knew he had only been called in for a reconnaissance mission, but that didn’t matter. He replayed the moment in his head, regretting it more with every moment. Peter and Pepper putting up the pretence that they were okay with him going had only made it harder.  
  
Before he knew it, he was back with the team, taking down the last _Hydra Research Lab_ , in the Russian city of Sokovia. He was back to his usual tricks, flying around in his armour, and masking his guilt with quippy remarks, aimed strictly at Steve.   
  
As luck would have it, the fight didn’t last long, he was soon inside, looking for what they came for -  Loki’s scepter

He celebrated as he located a secret door, and start to walk down the hidden dark alleyway.   
  
“ _We have a second enhanced_.” Steve cracked through the intercom,  “ _Female. Do not engage_.”  
  
Tony bounced his eyebrows up, _great someone else to look out for._  
  
He stopped in his tracks when he reached the end of the corridor. The events of the _Battle of New York_ overwhelmed his mind and left him paralysed for a second.   
  
There was a deceased, gigantic, Chitauri Leviathan strung up dangling down from the ceiling; the place was stacked full of alien artefacts.  
  
“ _Guys, I got Strucker,”_ Steve said, anchoring Tony back to reality.  
  
“Yeah, I got…” He stepped into the room “Something bigger.”  
  
He paced around; an invisible weight pushed down on his chest. He wanted to get out.  
  
His eyes locked onto familiar technology laid across a nearby desk, he picked it up and quickly realised that it was his tech. Somehow, that was harder to come to terms with.  
  
He noticed a blue shimmer in the distance, he hurried over, and relief washed over him when he saw the scepter. He scurried towards it, his mind turning to thoughts of home.  
  
“Thor,” He sang quietly, “I got eyes on the prize.”  
  
An eerie creak came from behind him, and his valiant smile faded. He slowly turned, and the Leviathan shrieked as it flew over him. He ducked, grunting a small yelp in shock, when he turned back, his world caved around him.  
  
The wormhole was above him, and aliens were pouring out, invading his world. 

In front of the wormhole, were the bodies of his team.   
  
The Hulk’s body squired a few times, before collapsing down in a heap.   
  
Tony’s breath hitched at the sight of Natasha’s lifeless body staring into the darkness; _he knew what her loss would do to Peter_.  
  
Clint was sat upright, slumped over, with his face tucked into his chest.   
  
Thor was laid out in front of Natasha, his hand was outstretched, drawing attention to Steve’s shield which had been torn clean in half.   
  
Steve’s body was close to his broken shield. Tony knelt by his side, and brought his hand up to his neck, checking his pulse, praying to feel one. He jolted as Steve burst awake and grabbed his wrist in an unforgiving grip.  
  
“You could have saved us.” Steve rasped, he let out one final exhale before his hand loosened around Tony’s arm.   
  
He darted his eyes over his team. The worst part was, he couldn’t see his own body.   
  
His pain and his fear doubled when a small voice sobbed out from behind him, “Dad?” _No. Not him. Anyone, but him._  
  
Tony spun on his foot, and he had to use every last scrap of strength he had, to stay standing upright.  
  
Peter was a few steps ahead of him, still upright, and alive, _barely_. He was older. Peter, who was safe back home, was only thirteen. This Peter appeared to fifteen or sixteen, but he was still Tony’s kid, and he didn’t want to see this.  
  
“Peter?”   
  
Peter stumbled over, crying intangible words under his breath. Tony caught his son as he collapsed into his arms. He lowered him down onto their knees, supporting his weight.  
  
“I got you, baby.”   
  
Peter stared at him, tears spilling down his cheeks; he clutched tightly onto Tony’s shirt, “Where were you, Dad?” He wept, “Why didn’t you save us?”  
  
Tony blinked away tears, and at that moment, Peter loosely slumped against him, “No.” _Please, not him._ He combed his hand through Peter’s hair, and screamed, unashamedly, into the emptiness, as he held his child in his arms, as tightly as he could.  
  
_Wake up._  
  
Suddenly, he was stood up again, back in the Hydra base.  
  
It had just been a sick vision, something he could not explain.  
  
He held out his arm and paraded around; he waited until his hand was safely secure in his gauntlet before reaching forward and snatching the scepter away.   
  
He didn’t understand his vision, or why he had been shown it. Or how.   
  
That didn’t matter.  
  
All that mattered was that he was not going to let it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write this to match the ending of Infinity War? Yes, yes I did.


	66. Home Invasion

Not hearing anything from his dad for two days was pretty unnerving. Peter was lucky that he was preoccupied with school, and waiting for a response from ‘Midtown School of Science and Technology _,’_ his first choice of high school.  
  
He stepped out of the elevator, into the main living space of the Avengers tower, he tossed his backpack onto the floor.  
  
“Peter, is that you?” Pepper called.   
  
He yawned, and stretched his arms up over his head, “Yeah!”  
  
Pepper rushed around the corner; she smiled, “Good, I thought I might miss you.”  
  
Peter frowned, “Miss me?”  
  
“Something happened at work.” She said frantically, “I’ve gotta catch a flight out to France.”  
  
“Oh,” Peter sighed, “Right now?”  
  
“Yeah, right now. I’m sorry sweetheart.”  
  
“No, it’s fine.” He gestured back at the elevator, “Do I need to pack for Meredith’s?”  
  
“No.” A knowing smile etched onto her face, “Your dad is gonna be here in twenty minutes.”   
  
Peter’s face lit up, and he jumped forward, “With the team!”  
  
“ _Yes_ , with the team.”  
  
Peter grinned, not even trying to hold back his excitement, “Cool.”  
  
“Maria Hill is upstairs.” Pepper told him, “With Helen Cho.”   
  
Peter’s eyebrows knitted together, “She’s a geneticist, right?”  
  
“Yes.” Pepper’s face softened, and she placed a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Barton got hurt, but he’s gonna be okay, don’t worry. That’s why Cho is heading up.”   
  
Peter’s excitement instantly melted into worry, “Oh, okay.”  
  
The elevator clicked open, and Happy stepped out, “Pepper, you ready?”  
  
“Um, yes.” She looked down at Peter,  “I’ll see you in a few days.”  
  
Peter nodded, and smiled warmly, “Love you.”  
  
“Love you too, sweetheart.” She bent down and kissed his cheek before hurrying over to the elevator, “Keep an eye on your dad.”  
  
“I’ll try my best.”

* * *

Peter wasn’t alone for long; he had just settled on the coach when Jarvis perked up, “ _Peter, the team have arrived; they are on the main landing deck.”_  
__  
He lunged up and charged away, “Thanks, Jay!” The elevator doors opened automatically, and he jumped in.  
  
He sprinted around the corner but skidded to an abrupt stop when he heard Maria Hill’s voice; she seemed to be in the middle of briefing someone. He leaned on the wall and listened.  
  
“He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis.” Maria said, Peter frowned, “Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation.”  
  
Peter’s eyes widened, “Cool.” He uttered, trying to hide his curiosity.    
  
“He's fast, and she's weird.” Maria summed up.  
  
Peter frowned, wondering who she was talking to. His question was quickly answered, when Steve Roger’s demanding voice called out to him, “Who’s there?”  
  
“Shit.” Pete hiccuped, he stepped out, and offered the pair a small awkward wave, “Hey.”  
  
Steve’s dropped his defensive persona, and grinned, “Oh, hello Peter.” He pointed down the corridor, “Your dad’s on the jet if you’re looking for him.”  
  
“Um, thanks.”   
  
“I'll catch up with you later,” Steve told them.  
  
“Cool!” Peter exclaimed. He darted away, letting Steve and Maria get back to work.   
  
He collided face first with a wall, and stumbled backwards, “Damn it.” He rubbed his cheek, and hobbled through the main exit towards the jet, cursing under his breath as he went.  
  
“Did you just walk into a door again?”   
  
Peter snapped his eyes up; Tony was hovering on the ramp of the jet, biting down on his lip to hide back a laugh.  
  
“No!” Peter shouted defensively; he gestured back, “That door was not there before.”  
  
“Whatever you say, hotshot.” Tony let out a shaky laugh and rolled his eyes.  
  
Before Peter could say anything else, Tony tackled him in an embrace, crushing him in a merciless grip. “Dad.” He hiccuped mid-laugh, “Dad, you’re crushing me.”   
  
“Ah.” Tony loosened his grip but didn’t step out of the hug, “Sorry.”  
  
“So…” Peter trailed off, “Did you miss me?”  
  
Tony chuckled, leaning back, “Always.”   
  
Peter scanned Tony’s face; he’d never known his dad so jumpy before. He decided it was best not to push for answers, “Me too.” He hummed, “How’s Uncle Clint?”  
  
“Sadly, he’s still your uncle Clint.” Tony quipped, Peter rolled his eyes, “I need to pack away.” He wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulder, guiding him up onto the jet.  
  
“Okay.” Peter stood at the top of the ramp as Tony walked over and tapped the screens.  
  
“So…” Tony started, “What’s on your mind, bud?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
Tony shook his head, and twirled on his foot, “Come off it. I know you too well.”  
  
“I’m just...curious.”  
  
Tony bounced his eyebrows up, “Curious?”  
  
“I heard Maria telling Uncle Steve about someone with increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis.” He recited, he hesitated as he tried to remember what else he heard, “And, someone else with…..telekinesis and mental manipulation.”   
  
Tony shook his head in disbelief, “You’re telling me, you can remember all that, but you always forget to turn the television off when you leave a room.”  
  
“It just sounded interesting.”  
  
Tony moved over, and bopped Peter’s nose, “And it is top secret.”  
  
“Yeah, _and_?” Peter laughed, __that had never stopped them before.  
  
“We meet these advanced individuals.” Tony spilt, Peter didn’t even have to use his puppy-dog eyes to get him to talk.   
  
Tony moved over the screen in the middle of the jet, and held out his hand, he clicked around and opened a file, revealing clips of a boy and girl rallying in Russia, they appeared only to be a few years older than Peter.  
  
“The Maximoff twins,” Tony said Peter stood opposite scanning the information.  
  
“He has superspeed.” Peter pointed out, “That’s so...awesome.”   
  
Tony clapped his hands together, closing off the file, “Not so awesome close-up.”  
  
“I know.” Peter sighed, “Still kinda cool.”  
  
Tony let out a heavy nasal exhale, “Yeah, kinda cool.” He tilted his head to the ramp, “Come on, then.”  
  
They headed off the jet, “So, are we still having that party on Saturday?”  
  
“Of course.” Tony playfully nudged his shoulder, “Especially now, this is all over.”   
  
“Is--”  
  
“Yes, Thor’s staying.”   
  
Peter smiled, “Cool.”  
  
Tony turned around so that he was in front of Peter, though he was walking backwards, “So, I’ve got some boring work to do with Bruce.”  
  
“Yeah?” Peter sighed, “And I’ve got some boring homework to do.”  
  
“Anything from Midtown yet?”  
  
Peter sighed, defeated, “No.”   
  
“Hey, either it happens, or it doesn’t bud.” Tony said softly, “Whatever happens, I’m proud of you.”   
  
“Thanks, Dad.”


	67. Thunderous Applause

Spending time with the team was great and surreal. Even though Peter’s dad was Iron Man, he still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that a group of elite superheroes were part of his family.   
  
He got to see the side of them that no one else did, and he considered himself lucky; he was a little surprised that since they arrived, most of them had just lounged around in his apartment, like a bunch of college students who had just gotten home for spring break.   
  
Before the party was set to begin, the team assembled in the lounge talking utter nonsense. Like a usual family get together.   
  
Peter left to change into his new tuxedo; the trousers, tie and blazer, were a maroon red, and his shirt was navy blue. Pepper had always said _blue and red_ were his colours.  
  
He prepared himself to be mothered by the whole group upon entry, especially Clint, who had made it his mission to embarrass Peter as much as he possibly could.   
  
“Hey, guys,” Peter said, skipping up the stairs.   
  
Like predicted, the room erupted with ‘oos’ and ‘aws’ within a second. Peter rolled his eyes, waiting for them to stop, but they just kept going.   
  
“Wow.” Tony gasped. Unlike the others, he was paralysed to the spot. Peter snorted as he studied his dad’s face; it was almost like it was the first time he realised Peter was growing up.   
  
“Give us a spin!” Natasha called.  
  
Peter rolled his eyes and twirled on his foot; the team cheered louder.  
  
“Wait, aren’t you starting freshman year soon?” Clint asked.  
  
Peter frowned, “...Yeah.”  
  
Clint leaned his back on the coach to look at Tony, “Ha, sorry, _Dad_.”  
  
“No need to be.” Tony shrugged, “Peter isn’t allowed a girlfriend or boyfriend for another...ten years.”  
  
“What?!” Peter’s face flushed with colour.  
  
“Twenty-three?” Rhodey hissed, his eyebrows knitting together, “Are you sure, Tones? That seems way too young.”  
  
Peter held out his hands out in front of him, “Uncle Rhodey!”  
  
“Okay, that’s enough.” Tony laughed, walking over and placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “He might self destruct.”  
  
Clint’s protest was cut off by Jarvis,  “ _Sir, Mr. Haywood from human resources has sent up your post. He apologies for the delay.”_  
  
“Not again,” Tony cringed, tapping Peter’s arm before stepping aside.  
  
“What’s going on?” Steve asked.  
  
“Our post keeps getting delivered to the wrong floor,” Tony explained.  
  
“It’s the only thing in the building that Jarvis doesn’t control,” Peter began, “Because dad thought it was _pointless._ ”   
  
“Why would people write when they can email or text?” Tony complained, he walked over the corner of the room, and opened up the service latch, he took out a pile of letters, and a white box, before closing it, “Hey kid, your glasses are here.”  
  
“Cool.” Peter took the box off him.   
  
“Glasses?” Bruce queried.   
  
“Yeah,” Tony said as he went through the mail, “I thought Peter was clumsy by nature, turns out we were wrong.”  
  
“Um, okay, yeah.” Peter stammered as he took the glasses out of the box, “I was struggling with seeing the board in class.”  
  
“Well, try them on then!” Rhodey told him.  
  
“Okay, okay.” Peter pushed the black-rimmed glasses on and looked up at the team, “What’d you think?”  
  
Once again, the room filled with thunderous applause and exaggerated cheers. Thor seemed confused, but he was still playing along.   
  
“Hey!” Tony shouted over their noise; he flapped his hand around haphazardly, “Zip it!” They all turned to look at him, “Hey kid; it’s here.”  
  
Peter looked at a yellow letter clutched in Tony’s hand, his heart sank to his feet, and he swallowed the lump forming in his throat, “Oh.”   
  
“What’s here?” Clint asked.  
  
Tony darted his eyes over, “The letter from Midtown.”  
  
“Midtown?”  
  
“It’s Peter’s first pick of high school.”   
  
“What is high school?” Thor perked up.  
  
Tony held up his finger, shushing him, “Not right now, point break.”   
  
“What are waiting for, Pete?!” Rhodey hyped, “Open it.”  
  
Peter looked at them all, his jaw dropped, “I don’t want to.”  
  
“Come on!” Clint said, drumming the side of the coach.   
  
“It might be bad news!” Peter argued.   
  
“If it is, it always will be.” Clint pointed out, “So, get it over and done with, like ripping off a bandaid.”  
  
“Believe it or not.” Tony teased, “Katniss has a point. And hey, you already got into Bronx.”  
  
“I know.” Peter crossed his arms over his chest, “But Midtown is the one, you know? And Ned-” Natasha lunged off the coach, and snatched the envelope out of Tony’s hand, “Auntie Nat, _wait_!”  
  
She had torn it open before Peter even had the chance to finish his sentence, a smile etched on her face, she turned the letter around, “You got in.”  
  
For the third time that night, the team came together in a round of applause. They all stood up this time; Clint placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.  
  
Peter stood, stuck to the spot as he stared at the letter. He didn’t move until Tony threw his arms around him, hugging him from behind, Peter brought up his hand and clutched onto Tony’s arm, as he chuckled gleefully,  “Well done, bud.” 

* * *

Peter didn’t enjoy the party, but he didn’t mind it either. It was just part of his life that he had grown accustomed too, and so had Tony. Peter prepared small ones when it was only the people he knew. It felt wrong talking to strangers who acted like they knew him.  
  
“Not enjoying the party?” Natasha asked.  
  
Peter sat at the end of the bar, scrolling through his phone. Natasha was on the other side, preparing drinks, “I don’t really like parties.”  
  
“Yeah...me neither.” She admitted, she pushed over an opened bottle of Diet Coke, “Here.”  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
He watched as something caught her attention behind him. She was staring ahead, with wide-eyes, she smiled.   
  
“Who are you staring at?” Peter questioned, turning back to look, his eyes locked onto Bruce, he turned back to Natasha, frowning.   
  
“No one.”   
  
“Um, ugh.” He cringed, “Do you like Uncle Bruce?”  
  
“No.” She said, way too quickly  
  
Peter shook his head, “This is like watching Mum and Dad again.”  
  
“Peter…”  
  
Peter took hold of his drink, and hopped down, “I’m gonna go before this gets _icky_.”   
  
He hurried away; he turned around to watch Bruce edge closer toward the bar; he let out a small chuckle; he seemed to be the perfect matchmaker.   
  
“Hey, bud!” Tony called over, “Get over here!”  
  
Peter darted over, stopping by his side. There was a man stood directly in front of Tony, grinning, Peter recognised him straight away, “Oh, so you must be the famous Peter, then?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“Kid, this is Sam Wilson.” Tony introduced.  
  
Peter rolled his eyes as he held out his hand, “ _I know that_! He's the Falcon.”   
  
“That’s me.” Sam said, shaking Peter’s hand, “Steve has told me a lot about you.”  
  
Peter jumped up, “He did?!”  
  
Sam snorted, “Yeah.”  
  
Peter tried to compose himself, “Cool.”  
  
Sam chuckled, he pointed at them, “I’ll see you two around.” Tony nodded, Sam headed away, over to Maria Hill.  
  
Peter nudged Tony’s arm repeatedly, “Uncle Steve tells people about me?”  
  
“What can I say, kid? You’re memorable.”   



	68. A Friendly Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an interesting piece of trivia: This is the first chapter I wrote for this fanfiction.

Towards the end of the party, the people Peter didn’t know began to leave, which was a relief, because he felt uncomfortable making casual conversation, a trait he adopted from his dad.  He stood with Tony, bidding everyone a good night.   
  
Tony playfully messed with Peter’s hair, “Shouldn’t you be getting to bed, Mister?”   
  
Peter escaped his grasp, “Shut up. It’s not even a school night.”   
  
“I’m joking.” Tony placed an arm around Peter’s shoulders, “Come on; let’s go and join the others.”  
  
“Hey, guys.” Peter greeted when they reached the top of the stairs.

They were all spread around. They chorused a response as Peter skipped towards where Thor and Steve were sat, he tripped and hit his toe on the side of the couch, “Shit.” 

Tony cupped a hand around Peter’s mouth, “Your Uncle Steve isn’t a fan of bad language.” Steve glared up at him; Peter escaped Tony’s hand and sat down next to Steve.  
  
“What are you all laughing about?”  
  
“Thor’s hammer,” Clint said, laughing mischievously.   
  
“That better not be _double entendre_ Barton,” Tony narrowed his eyes.  
  
“No!” Clint snapped, defensively.  
  
“Let’s be honest; that’s what this is about.” Natasha mocked.  
  
“Rogers cover Peter’s ears now,” Tony said, pointing over to his son. Steve shook his head and bowed it into his chest.  
  
“Come on, Tony.” Rhodey said, nudging his friend’s shoulder, “Peter’s thirteen, he’s definitely heard all of this at school.”  
  
“I have no idea what any of you are talking about,” Peter said nonchalantly.  
  
“Yeah, _totally_.” Tony said, “No one here mentions this to Pepper at all….”  
  
“Yeah, please don’t!” Peter scrambled forward, mid-laugh.  
  
“I was just about to text her!” Natasha exclaimed, watching both Tony and Peter’s faces fall.   
  
“Okay, back to what I was actually talking about!” Clint exclaimed, pointing at Mjölnir. “It’s a trick.”  
  
“Oh, no! It’s much more than that.” Thor informed him.   
  
Clint gestured to the hammer with both his hands, “Uh, “ _Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power_! Whatever, man! It’s a trick.”  
  
“Well, please, be my guest.”  
  
Peter laughed leaning forward to watch if Clint would accept the challenge, “Come on!” Tony exclaimed.  
  
“Really?” Clint asked.  
  
“Yeah!”  
  
Clint shrugged as he got up and strode toward the hammer, Peter clapped supportively.  
  
“Thanks, Pete, at least someone believes in me.”   
  
“Yeah, of course,” Peter pulled out his phone out and started recording; Clint looked at him, disappointedly, “ _What_? If you pick it up, it needs to be documented.”  
  
“This is gonna be beautiful.” Rhodey chuckled. 

Clint rolled his eyes; Tony leaned in, “Clint, you’ve had a tough week, we won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.”   
  
“You know I’ve seen this before, right?” Clint asked he pulled on the hammer, clearly using all his strength. The hammer didn’t budge, “I still don’t know how you do it.”  
  
“Am I allowed to be this on YouTube?” Peter asked.  
  
“Absolutely _not_!”   
  
“Yes!.” Natasha grinned, “You have my permission.”   
  
“He does not have mine,” Clint said, he tried to pull the hammer again, this time they all remained quiet.  
  
“Smell the silent judgement?” Tony cringed.  
  
An evil smirk grew on Clint’s face, “Please, Stark, by all means.” He then pointed to Peter, “You better film this.”  
  
“I am.”   
  
Tony jumped up, unbuttoning his jacket, “Oh, here we go.” Natasha said, in a sing-song voice.   
  
Tony shrugged. “Never one to shrink from an honest challenge.”   
  
“Get after it!” Clint cheered.  
  
“It’s physics,” Tony told them.  
  
“Physics!” Bruce shouted as Tony grabbed the hammer.  
  
“Right, so, if I lift it, I...I then rule Asgard?”   
  
“Yes, of course.”   
  
“Peter would be a great prince, right kid?” Tony said he pulled on the hammer; it didn’t move. “I’ll be right back.” He skipped away.  
  
“He’s gonna get the suit,” Peter said, shaking his head in shame.  
  
Tony returned wearing a gauntlet; he tried to pull on the hammer, embarrassingly, it didn’t move. Peter chuckled uncontrollably, trying to keep his phone stable.   
  
Rhodey joined in, wearing his arm from the Iron Patriot suit, “Are you even pulling?”   
  
“Are you on my team?” Tony asked.  
  
“Just represent! Pull!” Rhodey exclaimed.   
  
They both gave up and walked back to their seats, with their heads bowed into their chests, masking their shame.   
  
Bruce jumped up and walked over to the hammer; he wrapped his hand around it, when he failed, he stepped back, pretending to Hulk out.    
  
Thor, not understanding the joke, moved forward, shielding Peter behind him. “I think he’s joking..”   
  
“You can never be too careful, young Stark.”   
  
Bruce moved away, sitting back down as Steve got up to try, “Let’s go, Steve, no pressure!”   
  
“Come on, Cap!”  
  
Peter noticed the hammer move a little at the base as Steve pulled it, he looked back to see Thor’s alarmed expression. No one else seemed to notice, so Peter decided to keep it quiet, not wanting to send Thor into an existential crisis. Steve relaxed and shook his head.  
  
Thor laughed, “Nothing.”   
  
Bruce gestured to the hammer and to Natasha, “Widow?”   
  
“Oh, no, _no_. That’s not a question I need answered.” She turned and pointed at Peter, “Why don’t you try?”  
  
“No, no,” Peter said, shaking his head.  
  
“Come on, Pete!” Tony grinned, “It’s rigged, anyway.”   
  
“I’m not gonna try it because I don’t want to hurt Thor’s feelings.” Peter joked; his words started a chorus of laughter from the group.  
  
“Come off it, Thor!” Tony said, “The handle’s imprinted, right? Like a security code. ‘ _Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints_ ’ is, I think, the literal translation?”  
  
“Yes, well that’s, uh, that’s a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one.” Thor stood up and wrapped his hand around the hammer; he lifted it up and flipped in his hand, “You’re all not worthy.”  
  
Everyone shook their heads and echoed their disapproval.   
  
Their fun came to a standstill when a high pitched sound echoed throughout the room. A rough sounding robotic voice came from the level below them joined with the thud of footsteps, that they all recognised from the Iron Legion.  
  
Peter’s smile faded at the sound. Somehow, he knew. Straight away.   
  
_The party was over._  
  



	69. When The Party's Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'When The Party's Over' by Billie Eilish

The team slowly got up onto their feet as the sound. Tony kept trying to get a response from Jarvis, but his effort was going unawarded. His eyes locked onto a torn apart bot from the Legion walking around, dripping oil on the floor.   
  
“No.” It said, turning around to face them, “How could you be worthy? You’re all killers.”  
  
“Stark,” Steve said through gritted teeth.   
  
“Jarvis....”   
  
“I’m sorry I was asleep. Or...I was a-dream?” The bot asked.  
  
“Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit,” Tony ordered, tapping his device.  
  
“There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in... in...strings.” The bot said, spinning around on the spot, looking at itself as it were ashamed, “I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy.”  
  
“You killed someone?” Steve asked.  
  
Tony turned, scanning for Peter. Thor was stood in front of him, shielding him, and Helen Cho, from any potential danger.   
  
“Wouldn’t have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we’re faced with ugly choices.”   
  
“Who sent you?” Thor asked.  
  
The bot played a recording, “ _I see a suit of armour around the world_.” That was Tony’s voice.  
  
Tony closed his eyes _, of course, this was him._ It didn’t matter how hard he tried or how desperate he was to do the right thing; he was always wrong. He wanted to build Ultron to protect the people he loved, and now, he had put them in danger.   
  
“Ultron!” Bruce exclaimed, turning to look at him.   
  
“In the flesh. Or, no, _not_ yet. Not this...chrysalis.” Ultron said, spinning around to look at himself, “But I’m ready. I’m on a mission.”  
  
“What mission?” Natasha asked.  
  
“Peace in our time!” Ultron exclaimed; the Iron Legion crashed through the walls heading straight for them.   
  
Tony wasted no time in turning on his heel, and bolting over towards the coach, “Peter!” His son was down on his knees, holding his arms up, protecting his head. Tony rushed forward and looped his hands under Peter’s arms, he hoisted him off his feet and carried him away to the corner of the room.  “Stay here! Do not move.”  
  
Peter held out his arms, trying to grab him, “Dad!”  
  
Tony hurried away, he grabbed the railing and threw himself over. He landed down on his side; he scrambled away toward a table; he grabbed hold of two fondue forks. He ignored the calls of his team and darted up the stairs.  
  
He had two things on his mind, shut Ultron down, and protect Peter.   
  
Nothing else got mattered to him.  
  
He leapt over, and straddled onto one of the Legionnaire; he dug the forks into its neck, it kept chanting its annoying built-in message,  as he attempted to shut it down.   
  
“Stark!” Steve shouted over the noise.  
  
“One sec, one sec!” Tony called, he twisted the stick, “No more, that’s the one.” The bot dropped to the ground, taking Tony with it.   
  
He gasped as he landed, winded by the sudden thud.   
  
“Dad!” Peter shouted down, from above.   
  
“Peter, hide!” Steve barked, he sounded scared. Terrified, even.  
  
Tony leapt onto his feet, and noticed a bot heading straight for his son, “Peter, get down now!”   
  
He watched, helplessly, as Peter charged over, placed his hands on the railing, and threw himself over. It played in slow motion, and there was nothing Tony could do. Peter headed straight to the floor below, the bot shot, but narrowly missed, and instead struck the wall behind.  
  
Peter landed on his side, his head impacted the ground first, and he rolled over, unconscious. With everything going on, Tony only heard the noise of his son hiding the floor, and he could only feel the guilt of not being there to catch him.   
  
“Peter!” He screeched, he darted over, but a bot swung down in front of him, he ducked down, “Can anyone get to Peter?”  
  
“I’m nearly there!” Rhodey shouted back, worry for his nephew entangled his tone; he started to run towards Peter but was held back by two bots.  
  
“Just try and keep the legion away from him!” Tony pleaded.  
  
“I got it!” Steve threw his shield and knocked down the bot that was in Tony’s way.  
  
Tony collapsed down onto his knees beside his son, “Peter?” He cautiously placed a hand on his arm, and leaned over, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. There was a gash across Peter’s left temple, “Bud, can you hear me?” He, ever so carefully, threaded his fingers through Peter’s hair, “Please.” Peter's glasses had somehow survived the fall, Tony gently took them over and looped them on his shirt.

“That was dramatic!” Ultron exclaimed, “I’m sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn’t think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change.”  
  
Bruce rushed over, kneeling opposite where Tony was,  “I’ve got him.” He laid his fingers on Peter’s neck.   
  
“How is humanity saved if it’s not allowed to...evolve?”  
  
“Tony.” Bruce said, Tony didn’t look up, "I need you to look at me.” Tony snapped his eyes up, “He’ll be okay.”   
  
Ultron picked up a broken bot from the floor, “With these? These puppets?” He crushed the bot’s head with his hand, “There’s only one path to peace: The Avengers’ extinction.”   
  
Thor threw the hammer, and it crashed through Ultron, pinning it to the wall behind.   
  
Bruce cautiously moved Peter, so that his shoulders and head rested against Tony’s knees, he started to examine the extent of his injury.   
  
Natasha hurried over, breathlessly; she knelt by Tony, placing her hand on his shoulder,  “Is he okay?”  
  
Tony didn’t answer; he just placed his shaking hands on Peter’s shoulders, protectively.   
  
“I can’t tell the extent yet, not until he wakes up, but the injury itself isn’t too deep.” Bruce said, “Can someone get us a stretcher?”   
  
“Of course.” Barton nudged Thor’s shoulder, and they both darted up to the medbay.


	70. Small But Mighty

After a thorough examination, which included getting stitches and an MRI scan, they were all relieved that Peter had been able to escape with a mild concussion. For the rest of the evening, Peter stuck to Tony like glue.  
  
When they were all gathered in the lab, Tony, with Natasha’s help were able to persuade Peter to sit down. Natasha sat with him; her arm locked protectively around his back, he leaned his head into her side.  
  
“All our work is gone.” Bruce said, “Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch.”   
  
“Ultron.” Steve sighed, disappointed.   
  
“He’s been in everything. Files, surveillance.” Natasha started, “Probably knows more about us than we know about each other.”   
  
Rhodey stepped forward, “He’s in your files, he’s in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?”  
  
“Nuclear codes.”   
  
“Nuclear codes.” Rhodes repeated, “Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can.”  
  
“Nukes?” Natasha asked, confused, “He said he wanted us dead.”  
  
“He didn’t say dead. He said _extinct_.” Steve corrected.   
  
Peter sniffled and moved closer to Natasha. She tightened her grip around him and muttered a soft apology.  A silence fell over the room, Tony hurried over and knelt in front of the pair; he took hold of Peter’s hand, “You okay buddy?”  
  
“Yeah.”   
  
Tony brushed the side of his thumb over his cheek, “Do you want me to get your headphones?” Peter shook his head, “Okay.”  
  
“Didn’t he say he killed somebody?” Clint asked, his tone wary of Peter.  
  
“But there wasn’t anyone else in the building.” Maria pointed out.   
  
“Yes, there was.” Tony walked into the centre of the room; he pulled out his phone and projected the broken orange spectral of Jarvis.   
  
“Jarvis,” Peter sobbed.  
  
“This is insane!” Banner said, walking into the projection to look at the extent of the damage.   
  
“Jarvis was the first line of defence. He would’ve shut Ultron down; it makes sense.” Steve said.     
  
“No, Ultron could’ve assimilated Jarvis. This isn’t strategy, this is...rage.” Bruce explained, from experience.   
  
Thor walked in, not uttering a word, he grabbed hold of Tony by the throat and lifted him into the air. Tony fought against his grasp.   
  
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rhodey exclaimed moving closer.  
  
“It’s going around!” Clint called.   
  
Peter jumped onto his feet, escaping Natasha’s grip, “Uncle Thor, stop!” He ordered. The room stopped, and they all looked at him, utterly astonished. Thor placed Tony back onto the ground, “You won’t figure any of this out if you don’t work together!”   
  
“He’s right.” Natasha stood up and placed a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder.  
  
“Thor, what about the Legionnaire?” Steve asked.  
  
“Trail went cold about a hundred miles out, but it’s headed north, and it has the sceptre. Now we have to retrieve it, again!” Thor barked.  
  
“The genie’s out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron.” Natasha explained.   
  
“I don’t understand.” Helen said, turning to look at Tony, “You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Tony sighed, walking over to Peter, “I have no answers.”   
  
“This could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t played with something you don’t understand!” Thor snapped.  
  
“Don’t fight!” Peter strode forward, and stood in between Thor and Tony, tears spilling down his cheeks. “You aren’t here all the time.” He cried he hoped that through his breathless sobs, they’d understand what he was trying to say. “Dad has panic attacks and nightmares because of New York. _So do I_. And most of you weren’t here when Mum and I almost died! Dad was only trying to protect us.”   
  
Everyone stared at him, at a loss for words. Peter slumped into Tony’s side, “It’s okay, bud.”  
  
“Tony?” Steve said gently.   
  
“Peter’s right.” Tony admitted, “A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We’re standing three hundred feet below it.” He held Peter closer, “We’re the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but that up there? That’s... that’s the _endgame_. How were you guys planning on beating that?”   
  
“Together,” Steve told him.   
  
“We’ll lose.”  
  
“Then we’ll do that together, too.” Steve said reassuringly, “Okay, Thor’s right. Ultron’s calling us out. And I’d like to find him before he’s ready for us. The world’s a big place. Let’s start making it smaller.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, in a minute.” Tony leaned forward, “Come on, _Spartacus_ , bedtime.” Peter fell into Tony’s open arms, “Let’s do this.” He picked him up and walked out of the room without a second word.

* * *

Peter mumbled intangible sentences into Tony’s shoulder as they trotted along. Tony had to kick Peter’s door open, as Jarvis was gone and unable to do it for them. He didn’t have a hand free to use the handle. He carefully placed Peter down onto his bed; his son groaned, “Sorry, you’re not a little as you used to be.”  
  
“It’s not that.” Peter said sleepily, “They’re not angry at me, are they?”  
  
“Them guys? No, kid.” Tony told him, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”  
  
“I shouted at them.”  
  
Tony nodded, as a smile crawled over his face, “Yes, you did, but they’re not angry at you kid. Neither am I.”  
  
“Okay.”   
  
Tony placed a hand on his cheek, “How are you feeling?”  
  
“Better.” Peter sighed sleepily, “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”  
  
“I think so.” Tony nodded, “I’m gonna put the tower on lockdown, will you be okay on your own for a little while? I’ll call mum. And get Meredith here by morning.”   
  
“I’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere. _Not this time_.”  
  
Tony looked at him, scanning the wound on Peter’s head, “I’m sorry that you got hurt.”  
  
“It’s okay.” Peter said reassuring, he shrugged his shoulders, “I hope I get a _totally cool_ scar.”   
  
Tony chuckled and nodded, “Come on, sunshine; I need you to get some sleep.” Peter had already changed into pyjamas after the fight with Ultron; he pulled the sheets back and lay down, “Thank you.”  
  
“For what?”  
  
“Standing up for me,” Tony said teary-eyed.  
  
“I know you didn’t mean to do this, Dad.”   
  
“He stepped away as Peter settled into his mattress, “See you soon, okay?”   
  
“I love you.”  
  
“To the moon and back.”


	71. Stowaway

Peter laid wide awake in bed, the events of the evening echoing in his head. He turned over to look at his alarm clock; it had only been an hour since Tony tucked him into bed.   
  
He sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand; he could feel his heart beating nervously in his chest as his worry for his dad consumed him.   
  
He worried about how the Avengers might treat him because of Ultron.  
  
He jumped out of bed. He wasn’t going to leave Tony alone.

He quickly changed into more comfortable clothes and placed his trainers on. He picked up his glasses from his cabinet and put them on. He then pulled back the duvet to place two pillows in the centre of his mattress; he lay the cover back over them to see if the shape could pass off as a person. He admired his handy-work, “Sorry, Dad.” 

He sneaked his way out of his room; he tiptoed down the corridor making sure that he was quiet as he could be. He could hear the Avengers talking amongst themselves, he crept down the small staircase, freezing outside the room they all in.   
  
“I thought your father said he got the last of it?” Steve asked; Peter creased his forehead, wondering what they were talking about.  
  
“I don’t follow. What comes out of Wakanda?” Bruce asked.  
  
“The strongest metal on earth,” Tony said; Peter knew instantly that he was referring to Steve's shield.  
  
“Where is this guy now?” Steve asked.  
  
“Hmmm, to be honest Cap, I don’t really follow arms dealers around.” Tony said, “But I know that his hotspot is Johannesburg and no matter how many warnings he gets, the man won’t budge.”  
  
“So, we’re going to South Africa?” Natasha asked.  
  
“Yes.”   
  
Peter waited until he could hear them all strategising. He darted past the room hoping he was fast enough to go unnoticed; he reached the entrance to the carrier room where the Quinjet was parked; he stopped waiting a few seconds to determine if someone saw him. No one shouted after him.   
  
“Call yourself the Avengers.” Peter rolled his eyes as he unlocked the hanger door. He opened the emergency hatch on the Quinjet and clambered in. He found a small section towards the back of the ship between a shelf and the ship wall; he curled into the corner.

He didn’t have to wait long until the main door of the Quinjet opened, and the Avengers walked in; Peter leaned over to try and catch a glimpse of what was happening. He watched as Tony crossed his arms over his chest and watched the doors close.  
  
“You alright?” Natasha asked, placing a hand on Tony's arm.  
  
“Always.” He nodded, “It’s just hard leaving Peter behind.”  
  
“He’ll be okay.” She reassured him, “Peter’s one of the toughest kids I know, and we’ll be back before you know it.”  
  
Peter allowed himself to sleep, knowing whatever happened Natasha would protect Tony from the conflict between the team.

* * *

Peter jolted awake when the ship descended; he cupped his hand over his mouth, hoping no one heard his sudden surprised yelp. They didn’t. He listened as the door opened and they all left in a hurry to stop Ultron, he leaned in to see Natasha rush over to Bruce, “I will contact you if we need....the other guy.”   
  
“He’ll come running,” Bruce promised.  
  
“Come on, Nat!” Barton exclaimed; she moved away from Bruce, leaving him standing on the Quinjet alone.  
  
Peter extended his feet forward trying to regain feeling in them as he had been sitting on them for hours; he misjudged his movement, and his foot hit the wall, creating a small echo around the Quinjet. He peered up to see Bruce stood nearby with his arms crossed over his chest, “Busted.”  
  
“Peter!” Bruce yelped, “What are you doing here?”   
  
“Um, I--” Peter stuttered, “Can I get a hand?”   
  
“Yes…” Bruce held out his hand and guided Peter up to his head, “Why are you here? You are recovering from a concussion and don’t get me started on what your Dad is gonna say.”  
  
Peter shrugged and tilted his head into his shoulder, “Does he have to know?”  
  
Bruce froze for a second as he considered Peter’s suggestion, “Yes, _yes_ , he has to know.”  
  
“I did this for him.” Peter admitted; Bruce stepped back studying his nephew’s expression, “He didn’t mean to do this and how Thor treated him last night…”  
  
“Peter.” Bruce said softly, “Do you think I’d let anything happen to your dad?”   
  
Peter shook his head, “I know you wouldn’t, I don’t think Nat would either.” Bruce nodded in agreement, “I don’t like watching him fly away.”   
  
“I know... I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have done this.” Bruce told him, “You’re too clever for your own good.”  
  
“What do you expect? I’m a Stark...and a Parker.”

“Come and sit down.” Bruce gestured back his head to the chairs, “And I’m not sure how your parents do it, but I think you might be grounded for the rest of your life.”   
  
“Yeah, I know.” Peter sat down opposite Bruce, “It was stupid, but I was just..”  
  
“Thinking about your dad.”  
  
Peter nodded, “Yeah and umm, Mum and I, we almost.” He stopped not wanting to cry, “You know.”   
  
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t there.”  
  
“Not your fault.” Peter said, “You can’t there all the time.”  
  
A sudden crash echoed from outside, sending shivers up both their spines; Bruce darted over to the communication system as Peter opened the ramp, “Peter, wait!”   
  
“I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Bruce pressed a button, “Guys, is this a code green?” He asked static played back.   
  
Peter peered outside trying to catch a glimpse of the fight; the marshland was quiet, he looked back at Bruce, “What are you gonna do?”  
  
“No Hulk unless the team say so.” Bruce said, standing next to him, “And especially not with you here.”   
  
“I’ve met the Hulk before.” Peter reminded him.   
  
“Yes, and if I remember correctly, you were scared of him.”   
  
Peter shrugged, “I was only ten.”  
  
“I’m not putting you in any more danger than you already are.” Bruce told him, “And I think your dad would say the same.”  
  
Peter looked into the distance, “Hey, look.” He extended his hand, outside one of the rusty and abandoned ships were two figures, two strangers. “Who are they?”  
  
“They’re too far away.”  
  
“They’re not from the team.”   
  
“I think it might be the twins from Sokovia.”  
  
“The twins.” Peter jumped, “You need to hide!”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“The girl, Wanda….I _think_.” Peter rambled, “Maria said that she has the power to control what you see. She could make the Hulk do something that you’ll never come back from.”   
  
“Peter,  please just stay here... I’ll sort this one out.”  
  
Peter let out a prolonged sigh before stepping back into the ship; he noticed a case stacked on one of the shelves. He leaned forward and grabbed it, without a second thought, he swung it and hit the back of Bruce’s head, he collapsed down in an unconscious heap.  
  
Peter hissed, “Sorry.”   
  
A sudden whoosh came from behind Peter, followed by two sets of footsteps ascending the ramp. He turned to see the twins, “That was fast.” He said, gesturing to Pietro, “Increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis...super speed. That’s cool....very _cool._ ”  
  
“Who are you?” Pietro asked.  
  
“I’m Peter.”    
  
“Stark’s kid?” Wanda asked, in confusion, “What are doing here?”  
  
“Stowaway.” Peter admitted, “I know why you’re here.”  
  
“We don’t have time for this.” Wanda said, through gritted teeth, “Step aside.”   
  
“I know you want to unleash the Hulk…” Peter said, holding his hands up, “With you awesome powers, by the way, they’re great. But...think about this way, he could kill hundreds. He doesn’t have control of Hulk, and if you do this, he’ll kill people.”   
  
Pietro’s expression fell, “Wanda, he has a point.”   
  
Wanda looked to her brother, a stern look of confusion by his surprising softness towards Peter, “This is the plan.”   
  
“We’re trying to hurt the Avengers, not innocent people.” Pietro reminded her.   
  
“Hurt the Avengers,” Wanda said slyly, she snapped her head to look at Peter; red energy spread from her hands before Peter could even try to run, he was enveloped into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I totally cut out the Hulkbuster scene.


	72. Come Back, I Still Need You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'Hold On' by Chord Overstreet.

Peter blinked a few times adjusting to a bright white light hovering above him; he groaned, bringing a hand to the side of his head. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was sitting in the centre of a battleground. The grass underneath him was coated in dirt and dust; it was a daunting black instead of bright green. Specks of ash surrounded him blurring his vision.  
  
“Bruce?!” He got up onto his feet, “Hello!”   
  
He walked along the field; it was empty, for miles and miles, there was _nothing_. He brought his hand to his head, trying to remember what was happening; he started to run as fast as he could, hoping he would find a way out of the nightmare he was trapped in.   
  
He stopped to catch his breath; he placed a hand on his chest, and he turned on the spot, “Dad!” He screamed. He spotted two figures in the distance laid side by side, a few meters apart with their hands meeting in the middle, “No.”   
  
He jogged over and stopped, his heart-shattering in his chest. He brought his hand to his mouth as a sob erupted from his throat, “No.”   
  
The figures were the bodies of Tony and Pepper, _his parents_. Pepper was curled up, her legs drawn tightly to her chest, her hand was hanging out to her side as if she had tried to reach for Tony in her final moments. Tony was on his side, his dead eyes staring over at Pepper; his suit was torn apart, the pieces were scattered them.    
  
Peter collapsed down onto his knees; he cupped his hand over his mouth, “Please.”   
  
He crawled forward and slumped down between the two people he loved most in the world.  He curled his legs close to his chest, enclosing himself in the fetal position. He reached out and linked his shaking hands with Tony’s exposed hand; he gripped on until his knuckles turned chalk-white.  
  
“Dad.” He wept, into the unsettling silence, “Please, I... need you.”

* * *

 Tony flew down to the Quinjet, expecting to see the Hulk running around. He stepped out of his suit and charged over to the unconscious form of Bruce, “Hey Banner, can you hear me?” He asked, placing a hand on his cheek, “Come on, _buddy._  The team’s been whammied by the Maximoff girl too, no need to worry.” 

“Is he okay?” Steve asked, hurrying up the ram, with a shaken Thor behind him, who was trying to contemplate what he had been shown.

“I think so.” Tony gently slapped Banner’s cheek, “Come on, Banner.” Bruce groaned as he blinked his eyes open, he sprang upright, grabbing onto Tony’s wrist, “You’re okay, you’re back with us.”  
  
“What happened?” Steve asked.  
  
“Peter…” Bruce uttered, Tony’s chest tightened, “Where’s he gone?”  
  
“Peter was here?” Tony scrambled up onto his feet.   
  
“He snuck on the ship; I think he knocked me out.” Bruce said, placing his hand on the back of his head, “Because the twins ...the twins were gonna…”  
  
Tony charged down the ramp, “Peter!” He screamed as his emotions took over, he let out a hesitant breath as he tried to stop himself from panicking, “Peter!”  
  
A heart-wrenching scream came from closeby stopping all the Avengers dead in their track.

Clint, who was guiding the weakened form of Natasha across the marshland, stopped, “Who was that?”

Tony bolted away with Steve on his tail, “Peter!”   
  
Peter was down on the ground, curled into the fetal position. His face was a haunting pale white, and he was breathing at uneven intervals. He was burying his nails into his palms, attempting to wake up from the vision Wanda had trapped him in.   
  
Tony approached him, cautiously, “Peter.” His voice broke as he knelt close to him, “It’s Dad. It’s me.” He told him, “Whatever you see right now, baby, it’s not real. I _promise._ ”   
  
Peter’s breath hitched, and he opened his eyes; they were glowing an unfamiliar scarlet red, he blinked a few times, and they faded back to their usual brown. “You were dead.” He sobbed, “And Mum, you were both _gone_.”   
  
“We’re okay.” Tony helped Peter up into a sitting position; he placed a kiss on his forehead, “We’re okay.” He told him, brushing his hair off his sweat-ridden brow, “I’m not going anywhere..” Peter leapt forward, throwing himself around Tony, knocking him off balance; Peter nestled his face into Tony’s shoulder as he wept, uncontrollably, “I got you.”   
  
“I don’t want you to be Iron Man anymore.” Peter cried.  
  
Tony clung onto his son with all his strength, “I know, I know.” He picked Peter up and walked toward Steve.  
  
“Is he okay?”  
  
“No,” Tony said bluntly.  
  
He walked towards the ship where Clint and Bruce were stood, waiting.   
  
“Is he alright?” Bruce asked guilt intertwined in his voice.   
  
“Nothing physical,” Tony commented as he walked onto the Quinjet.   
  
“What did she do to all of you?” Clint questioned.  
  
“Mental manipulation,” Peter muttered.

“Exactly.” Tony said, “Come on, kiddo.” He placed Peter onto his feet and kept a firm grip on him; he sat down and guided his son down with him. Peter nuzzled his face in Tony's chest and curled his legs into his side.

“What do we do now?” Steve asked as he closed the ship up.  
  
“Maybe we stay away from New York for a while.” Tony admitted, “Go somewhere Ultron won’t expect.”   
  
“What about Mum?” Peter asked, his voice small and broken.  
  
“She’ll be fine.” He reassured her, “I’ll call her later and let her know everything.”   
  
“So, lay low?” Clint asked, sitting down in the pilot’s chair, “I know a Safehouse.”  
  
“Sounds good.” Tony agreed, “Safehouse, it is.”   



	73. Safehouse

Tony woke when the Quinjet landed down on the ground; he peered out the furthest window which was looking out onto a farm. One with miles of fields and a small cottage-like home. Years ago, when Peter was a toddler, Tony had often fantasised about moving somewhere like it.

That dream, alongside many others, had been swamped by prior commitments and his rather hectic livelihood.

He placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder and gently shook him, “Come on, kid, let’s head inside.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter mumbled, “Dad…”  
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“I don’t feel good.”   
  
Tony wiped forming tears away, and he looked up to the team, who shared the same look of concern. Natasha was the only one who seemed to be sharing in Peter’s misfortune as she was using Clint to lean on.  
  
“You’ll be okay.” Tony said, “Come on; let’s get inside.” He stood up and with care picked up his son once more.  
  
They walked across the field, heading towards the house, “What is this place?” Thor asked.  
  
“It’s a safehouse,” Tony said.  
  
They walked up to the wooden steps to the front door, “Let’s hope.” Barton said as he opened the door with a simple push, he turned into the living area, “Honey, I’m home!” A heavily pregnant woman appeared from the kitchen clinging onto art and craft supplies in her hand, “Hi. Company. Sorry, I didn’t call ahead.”  
  
“Hey,” She said, Clint leaned in to kiss her.  
  
Tony leaned in closer to Thor while keeping a tight grip on Peter, “This is an agent of some kind.”  
  
Clint turned around placing an arm around his wife, “Gentleman, this is Laura.”  
  
Laura chuckled nervously, “I know all your names.”  
  
The sound of footsteps emerged from the corner; Clint stepped away, “Ooh, incoming!”  
  
“Dad!” A girl’s voice exclaimed.   
  
“I see her!” He took both his young daughter and son into a hug, “Hey, buddy!” He said, kissing his son’s head, “How you guys doing? Ooh…”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased and guilt laid onto his shoulders, guilt he’d never felt before, “These are...smaller agents.”    
  
“Is he okay?” Laura asked, gesturing to Peter.  
  
“Rough day.” Tony said kindly, “You don’t happen to have a spare room. I could take him, do you?”  
  
“Yes, of course.” She said, “The third one from the end on your left.”  
  
“Thank you.” Tony moved away from the group, carrying Peter up the stairs.   
  
He clicked the door open and guided Peter down onto the bed, “How do you feel?” He asked, sitting down beside him.  
  
“Tired.” Peter mumbled, laying his head on Tony’s shoulder, “I’m sorry that I snuck onto the ship.  
  
“I know.” Tony sniffled, “You’re grounded by the way.”  
  
“Makes sense.” Peter muttered in a whisper, “...I was only looking out for you.”  
  
Tony looked up at the ceiling to try and stop himself from crying, “I’m meant to look out for you.”  
  
“No....” Peter said, “We look out for each other.”  
  
Tony wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulders and pulling him closer to kiss his temple, “Yeah, _yeah_ , we do.”   
  
“I didn’t mean what I said about you being Iron Man.” Peter said, “I know that sometimes that world needs you more than I do.”  
  
“No.” Tony said, laying his chin on Peter’s head, “I think you were a right kid.” He tapped his shoulder, “Hey, why don’t you try and get some rest? We can talk about this later.”   
  
“Okay.” Peter moved to tuck his head on the pillow.  
  
“And maybe after you wake up, you can….” Tony placed his fingers on the tip of his nose, “Play with Barton’s kids, hey? Or you could talk about you’re _really cool awesome_ dads.”   
  
“You’re not cool,” Peter muttered sleepily.  
  
Tony chuckled as he pulled the duvet up around Peter, “But at least,  I’m awesome.” He said jokingly; he sat at the end of the bed, knowing Peter would drift off to sleep faster with him there.   
  
A gentle knock came at the door, followed by Clint clicking it open and hesitating outside; he was holding a tray with two mugs on, “Sorry.” He whispered, he walked over placing a cup of coffee into Tony’s hands; he put the other cup down by Peter’s bedside, “Laura always says this is the best medicine, warm orange juice.”  
  
“Thank you,” Tony said softly.  
  
“It sounds disgusting, but no one can argue with a Mother’s logic,” Clint commented, Tony chuckled. Clint sighed deeply and sat down on the chair beside the bed, “You alright, Stark?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Tony stuttered unsurely, “Just…” He sipped from his cup, attempting to break free from the conversation, he stuck his tongue out when he realised how hot his drink was.  
  
“Tony?”  
  
“I feel...guilty.” Tony shrugged as he gestured over to his son, “I could have given him a life that you have for your children. One where he could be himself and not always in the shadow of my life.... and my mistakes.”  
  
“You’re a good dad.” Clint said, “You’ve made mistakes, but raising him isn’t one of them. He’s a brilliant kid.”  
  
“Yeah, he is.” Tony said, “But I wish I’d done more.”  
  
“You were a dad before Iron Man.” Clint reminded him, “I only had the chance to do all of this because I was Hawkeye first. And Peter followed us onto that ship to protect you, that’s not your fault.”   
  
“I should have checked on him before….”  
  
“Tony!” Clint said in a hushed but snappy tone, “I don’t compliment people a lot, apart from my kids, so please listen you’re a dad. You’re always gonna blame yourself when he gets hurt.”   
  
“Thanks, Barton,”   
  
Clint stood up, “If you’d like do something helpful while you’re here, Laura needs some wood cut up. Steve is already outside.”   
  
“Sounds domestic.” He grinned, “And _fun_.”  
  
“And Cooper is already asking if Peter will play baseball with him when he feels better.”   
  
“He’ll love that.” Tony said, “Better let him rest for a bit.”   
  
Tony headed outside to where Steve was stood already cutting up the wood; he stopped when he saw Tony heading over, “How’s Peter?”  
  
“Shaken up.” Tony said, “He’s asleep now.”  
  
“Good.”   
  
“He must have snuck on before we set off.” Tony theorised, “We call ourselves the Avengers, and we didn’t even notice a thirteen-year-old tiptoeing onto the Quinjet.”   
  
“Or hiding there.”   
  
“Peter’s got us wrapped around his little finger.” Tony shrugged, he darted his eyes around, “Where’s Thor?”  
  
“He just said something about the vision the Maximoff girl showed him and flew off.”   
  
“He didn’t say where he was going for answers?”  
  
“Sometimes, my teammates don’t tell me things. I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception.”  
  
“Yeah, give him time.” Tony sighed, knowing where Steve was heading with the conversation, “We don’t know what the Maximoff kid showed him.”  
  
“ _Earth’s Mightiest Heroes_. Pulled us apart like cotton candy.”   
  
“She hurt my kid, and he isn’t an Avenger...it’s personal.” Tony said, “The twins have a vendetta against the team, mostly me or who I used to be. Ultron…he’s planning something else, he’s just using them.” Steve nodded in agreement, “It...seems like you walked away all right.”  
  
“Is that a problem?”  
  
“I don’t trust a guy without a dark side.” Tony shrugged, “Call me old fashioned.”  
  
“Well, let’s just say you haven’t seen it yet.”  
  
“You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?”   
  
“Well, I guess you’d know.” Steve said, bending down to pick up a piece of wood, “Whether you tell us is a bit of a question.”  
  
“Banner and I were doing research.”  
  
“That would affect the team.”   
  
“That would end the team! Isn’t that the mission? Isn’t that the “ _why_ ” we fight so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?” Tony barked; Steve tore a piece of wood in half with his bare hands, Tony watched in fascination before pointing up to Clint’s house, “Peter just told me not to be Iron Man anymore, and he’s right. He nearly lost me back in New York, I could never leave him, _not like that_. I shouldn’t be Iron Man; I should just be his dad!”  
  
“I get it, Tony, I really do.” Steve sighed, “But every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time.”  
  
Laura walked over cautiously towards both of them, “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, uh, Clint said you wouldn’t mind, but, our tractor, it doesn’t seem to want to start at all. I thought maybe you might…”  
  
Tony turned to her and smiled, “Yeah, I’ll give her a kick.”


	74. The Worst Part

Tony stepped into the barn, relieved to have escaped from his conversation with Steve. He walked over to Barton’s tractor, “Hello, Deere.” He sang as he placed a hand on the side as he meddled with the wires and controls, “Tell me everything. What ails you?”

“Do me a favour.” The familiar sound of Nick Fury’s voice came from nearby; Tony rolled his eyes and looked over, to see Nick walking past a set of shelves and tables, “Try not to bring it to life.”

Tony sighed, having expected to have some alone time doing what he did best, fixing things. “Ah, Mrs. Barton, you little minx.” He said, staring at the barn doors, he looked over to Fury, “I get it, Maria Hill called you, right?” He walked over, “Was she ever not working for you?”

“Artificial intelligence.” Nick said, “You never even hesitated.” 

“Look, it’s been a really long day like, Eugene O’Neill long. We’ve had our arses beat." Tony said, “So how’s about we skip to the part where your useful?” 

“Look me in the eye and tell me you’re going to shut him down.” 

“You’re not the director of me.” 

“I’m not the director of anybody.” Nick admitted as he sat down on the hay barrels behind him, “I’m just an old man, who cares very much about you.”

Tony stared into the distance before looking back to Nick, trying his best not to break, “And I’m the man who killed the Avengers.” Nick’s forehead creased in confusion, “And-and my own son.”

“Stark?” 

Tony stepped back, shaking his head, “I saw it. I didn’t team, how could I? I saw them all dead, Nick. I felt it. The whole world, too.” He gestured towards the house, “Peter was there. He was…” His voice cracked, “It is because of me. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t do all I could.”

“The Maximoff girl, she’s working you, Stark. Playing on your fear.” 

“I wasn’t tricked, I was shown.” He emphasised, “It wasn’t a nightmare; it was my legacy.” He said, bringing his hand to his heart, “The end of the path, I started us on.”

“You’ve come up with some pretty impressive inventions, Tony. War isn’t one of them.” Nick said reassuringly, “And it can’t be real because I know, I think everyone knows, you constantly put your life on the line for one person, _Peter._ You always have, you always will.”

“Then how didn’t I know that he snuck on the damn Quinjet, hey?” Tony asked, “How didn’t I notice? I’m meant to be his dad!”

“Because Peter’s a clever kid.”

Tony bowed his head into his chest, “I watched my friends, my son...the whole world die. You’d think that’d be as bad as it gets, right?” He chuckled sourly, “Nope. Wasn’t the worst part.”

“The worst part is that you didn’t.” 

Tony shrugged, “Yeah.” He twiddled a dial on the tractor “She isn’t broken.” He walked over towards the exit, “Can’t believe you got Mrs. Barton to lie for you if you wanna talk, just ask.”

“Would you have come?” 

Tony skipped out of the door, “Probably not.” 

* * *

 

When Tony made it back to the house, Barton’s children were sat playing quietly amongst themselves on the living room floor. He moved his focus onto the two figures sat on the couch; Natasha was nearest him, he peered over to see that she had her arm wrapped protectively around Peter, who was curled into her side with his legs sprayed off the end of the couch.

Natasha turned to look at him and smiled before placing her hand in Peter’s hair, twirling it around her fingers. Tony grabbed a chair from the breakfast bar and moved it over, “Tony, I think you might be sitting on top of Lila’s playground for her ponies.” 

Tony glanced around to Lila, and his face softened, “Sorry, sweetheart.”

“It’s okay.” She said, “It’s their bedtime.” She took hold of three plastic ponies and stood up, rushing to the kitchen. 

“Now, I can see why you’re so brilliant with children.” Tony smiled, turning back to Natasha.

“Thank you. I was there when these two were born.” She said, looking at Cooper and Lila, “I love them and this one,” She gestured to Peter, who was sleepily peacefully leaned into her side. 

“When did he wake up?”

“He had a nightmare, but I was there, don’t worry.” She said, reassuring him, “He just wanted to stick with me. He fell asleep a few minutes ago.” 

“Thank you.” He grinned, “Strictly between us; I think you’re his favourite.”

“Obviously.” Natasha said she raised her eyebrows, “A compliment and a thank you, you’re full of surprises tonight.”

“Talking about surprises,” Tony said, gesturing his hand back, in perfect unison, Nick walked in through the open door. Tony turned back and silently celebrated, “Did we plan that or do you just like dramatic entrances?”

“Hello, Nick.” Natasha smiled.

“Romanoff.” Nick said, “Where’s the Captain?”

“Helping Barton carry wood to the shed.” She told him, “They’ll be back in a second.”

“Hey, Nick.” Laura said, emerging from the kitchen, “Can I get you a drink?”

“Coffee, please.”

“Nat? Mr. Stark?” 

“Can I just have water, please?” Natasha asked.

“And I’ll have one too, thank you.” 

“No problem.” Laura smiled, turning back to the kitchen.

“Can I have juice, please?” Peter mumbled sleepily, his eyes still closed.

“Laure! Can Peter get some juice, please?” Natasha asked.

“Of course.” 

Tony nudged Peter’s arm gently, “You awake now, buddy?” 

“Shush.” Peter muttered, “No, I’m not.”

“Okay, sunshine.”

Peter blinked his eyes open and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes; he moved around, so his legs were dangling off the couch, he leaned back into Natasha’s side, “You guys are so loud.”

“We were whispering,” Tony said defensively. 

“Dad, your whisper is just your normal voice but slightly deeper.” Peter looked over to see Nick hovering, “Oh, hey Nick.” 

“Good evening, Peter.” Nick smiled, “How are you?”

“Better.” Peter shrugged, “Other than the vision; her powers are quite cool.” 

“Only you’d be impressed by someone who whammied you kid,” Tony said, shaking his head. 


	75. The Battle Plan

After dinner, the team settled down the dining room talking through battle strategies for taking down Ultron. Tony was only listening in, as Peter had beaten him at darts and he wasn’t going to let the victory slide without multiple rematches.   
  
“Come on, Dad, I beat you.”   
  
“Okay kid.” Tony said, pulling out the darts, “You win.”  
  
Peter walked over and took a seat at the end of the table near Natasha, she pushed over a bowl of sweets and smiled warmly at him, “Thank you.”  
  
Nick walked to the breakfast bar taking out a knife to cut his sandwich, “Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he’s building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don’t think it’s just one thing.”   
  
Lila rushed through the crowd of Avengers in her kitchen to hand Natasha a picture, her Aunt placed a hand on her shoulder and thanked her; Lila walked back into the living room, packing away her toys ready for bedtime.   
  
“What about Ultron himself?” Steve asked.  
  
“Ah. He’s easy to track, he’s everywhere.” Nick said, “Guy’s multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still, doesn’t help us get an angle on any of his plans, though.”   
  
“He still going after launch codes?” Tony placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, knowing he worried when they discussed going off to battle.  
  
 “Yes, he is, but he’s not making any headway,” Nick said, confused.  
  
“I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare.”   
  
“Funny time to show off, Dad.” Peter chuckled, the others echoed his laughter.   
  
“Ha ha.” Tony rolled his eyes, “It’s just...it shouldn’t be taking him so long.”   
  
“Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that,” Nick said.  
  
Steve’s forehead creased, “NEXUS?”  
  
“It’s the world internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on earth,” Bruce explained.   
  
Clint stepped in, “So what’d they say?”  
  
“He’s fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed.”  
  
Tony took a sweet out of Peter’s bowl and tossed it into his mouth, “By _whom?_ ”  
  
“Parties unknown.”   
  
“Do we have an ally?” Natasha asked.  
  
“Ultron’s got an enemy, that’s not the same thing. Still, I’d pay folding money to know who it is.” Fury admitted.  
  
Tony tightened his grip on Peter’s shoulder, as he kept leaning in to steal sweets, “I might need to visit Oslo, find our unknown.”   
  
“Hey,” Peter said, covering the bowl with his hand.  
  
“I gave them to him, Stark.” Natasha scowled, Tony held his hands up in a fake surrender, Widow looked back up to Fury, “Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you’d have more than that.”  
  
“I do, I have you.” Nick said gesturing to the kitchen, “Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up.  Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave.”  
  
“It’s weird, though.” Peter said interrupting Fury’s speech; they all stared at him, “What? I might not be an Avenger, but I can talk.”  
  
“Peter, sometimes I think you’re more of an Avenger then most of us,” Natasha said  
  
“Don’t give him ideas, Romanoff.” Tony scolded.  
  
“What were you saying, Peter?” Steve asked.  
  
“Look, I know Dad and Bruce shouldn’t have messed with this, but it doesn’t make sense.” Peter shrugged, gesturing to Tony and Bruce, “You’re not stupid…. Dad, you said it yourself, you weren’t even close to an interface.”  
  
Tony raised his eyebrows, “Yeah.”  
  
“So had did it happen? No one is asking that.” Peter said, “Also Ultron changed his mind, he went from wanting to destroy the Avengers to global destruction. So what if it wasn’t you? Maybe it was a higher power.”  
  
“Higher power?” Clint asked, “Like _God_?”  
  
“No, like the…” He looked up at his Dad, “...the _endgame_?”   
  
Clint sighed, placing his face in his hands, “Why is the teenager the most logical out of all of us?”   
  
“Because Peter doesn’t instantly blame his Father for all his problems.” Nick said, blatantly calling out the Avengers, “And seeks alternative explanations.”

An awkward silence fell over the room, Tony tapped Peter’s shoulder and through a shaken breath sighed out, “Perhaps you’re right kid, but now, we’ve just got to stop Ultron.”   
  
“You simply need to outwit the platinum bastard,” Nick added.   
  
“Steve doesn’t like that kind of talk.” Natasha mocked, Peter snorted and placed a hand over his mouth.  
  
“You know what, Romanoff?” Steve said in a fake serious tone, Natasha shot him a mischievous smile.  
  
“So, what does he want?” Nick asked.  
  
“To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies.” Steve shrugged.  
  
“Person bodies.” Tony muttered, “The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking, we’re outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it.”  
  
Natasha looked to Bruce and then Tony, “He was made to protect the human race, and now he’s destroying it. Peter’s right, that’s a strange change in mission.”   
  
Bruce stepped forward and took hold of the picture Lila had drawn for Natasha, a butterfly, “They don’t need to be protected, they need to evolve. Ultron’s going to evolve.”  
  
“How?”   
  
“Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?” Bruce asked.  
  
“Not since last night, why?” Natasha asked.  
  
“The Cradle, the one used to save Clint, Ultron could use it to…”  
  
“Build a body.” Tony finished.

* * *

Peter sat in the living room of the Barton house as the team prepared for the next step of their plan, he politely declined Laura’s offer, he already liked Laura, but Barton’s ranch wasn’t home. He wanted to go home.   
  
Steve walked in, changed back into his uniform; he reached for the shield and placed it on his back, “You okay, Pete?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“You look tired.”   
  
“It’s hard running the Avengers at such a young age.” Peter joked; Steve snorted.  
  
“You're so sarcastic these days,” Tony said as he walked in.  
  
“You’re my Dad.”   
  
Steve turned around to look at Tony, “So, I’ll take Natasha and Clint.”   
  
“Alright, strictly recon. I’ll hit the NEXUS; I’ll join you as soon as I can.” Tony said, purposely walking away from Peter, not wanting him to get hurt by what he was hearing, not anymore.   
  
“If Ultron is really building a body…”  
  
“He’ll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot.”  
  
Steve sighed, “You know I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me.”  
  
Nick walked in, placing his jacket on, “I’ll drop Banner and Parker off at the tower.”  
  
“Actually, it’s Parker-Stark.” Peter said, popping his head around the doorframe, “But I get it double barrel names sound less dramatic.”  
  
Tony chuckled, “Did that bump on the head make you critically sarcastic?”   
  
“Stark.” Nick cut back in, “Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?”  
  
“She’s all yours, apparently.” Tony shrugged.  
  
“What are you gonna do?” Steve asked.  
  
“I don’t know.” He looked over at Peter, “Something dramatic, I hope.”  
  
“I knew it,” Peter muttered under his breath as Nick walked away.   
  
“Come on, then kiddo.” Tony walked over and drew his son into a hug, “No more sneaking off or hiding in places you shouldn’t be. Just stay where Bruce can see you, at all times.”   
  
“Got it.” Peter nodded, “Just come back.”  
  
“Don’t worry.” Tony stepped back, ruffling Peter’s hair, “I’m coming back.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was important to me that Peter feared 'the endgame' aka Thanos because he's grown up around Tony, and has seen and experienced things the Avengers haven't.


	76. One Call Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'One Call Away' by Charlie Puth

Peter and Bruce worked together for hours to clean up the mess left behind by their fight with Ultron. Peter wore his headphones blasting _Duran Duran_ while brushing way the glass into small piles. He locked his eyes on the spot where he had landed after throwing himself off the balcony. He turned to see Bruce staring at him. Peter pulled his headphones off and placed them around his neck, “You okay, Pete?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Peter sighed, “It’s been a long few days.”  
  
“Why don’t you try and get some sleep?” Bruce asked.  
  
“Okay.” Peter nodded, placing his broom down, “Can you tell Dad to wake me up when he gets back?”   
  
“Of course.”  
  
Peter skipped up the stairs towards the living area; he sprawled across one of the couches and within a few minutes, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Peter woke to the sound of shouting. His heart leapt up into his throat when he realised the anger was coming from Bruce.  He rushed down the stairs to see what was going happening, “Uncle Bruce!” 

Bruce grabbed a chair from the bar and threw it across the room; Peter skidded to a holt sensing the apparent danger. “Get away from me, Peter!”   
  
“Okay, okay.” Peter said, stepping away, he held his hands up, “What’s wrong? What happened?”  
  
“Ultron!” Bruce screamed, “He took Nat!”  
  
Peter’s face paled, and his breath hitched at the thought; the idea of her being alone with Ultron made him sick to the stomach. “She’ll be okay.” Peter said attempting to reassure both himself and Bruce, “She’s Black Widow, she’s the strongest and most badass out of all of you.”  
  
Bruce’s face softened as he breathed through his rage, he crumbled down to the floor and sat down, bowing his face into his hands, “You’re right.”  
  
“Of course, I am.” Peter said, “Just don’t tell Steve I swore, and we’ll be fine.”  
  
“You got it.”  
  
Before Peter could move forward to offer Bruce a hand up, Tony came crashing through the roof doors, landing in-between both of them, geared him in his Iron Man suit. “Stand down, Dad.”  
  
Tony pulled back the helmet, “Everything okay?”  
  
“No code green.” Peter said, skipping past and offering a hand to Bruce, who took it, “We both know Auntie Nat will be okay.”  
  
“Yeah, she will.” Tony stepped out of his suit.   
  
“Thank you, Peter.” Bruce sighed; he looked over to Tony, “He was very grown up.”  
  
“I’ve dealt with panic attacks before.” Peter said, “And I guess a code green is similar.”   
  
“Very.” Bruce agreed.  
  
Peter turned to Tony, “Dad, what did we say about the _helicopter parenting_?”   
  
“I’m not…” Tony cut himself off, “Sorry but I couldn’t believe Barton told Bruce about Nat, especially with you here. I was worried.”   
  
“We’re okay, Dad, I don’t think the Hulk would hurt me.” Peter said, “And Clint is probably as scared as us, so we can’t blame him.”   
  
“Okay.” Tony sighed, “He’ll be here in a second with the cradle. We should probably get ready. I’ll just get changed quickly first.”  
  
“What should I do?” Peter asked.  
  
“It’s three in the morning, Pete. Go to bed.” Tony told him.  
  
“No way! Not when Ultron has taken Nat.” Peter protested, crossing his arms over his chest, “And all I’ve done is sleep.”  
  
“Okay, I know.” Tony pointed at him, “Phone your Mum. There’s only so much I could tell her on a short call, and she’s worried about you.”   
  
“Will she be up?”   
  
“Yeah, she’s up, and she’s in France, so it’s the morning there.”  
  
“Got it.” Peter walked towards his room; he keyed in Pepper’s number on the tablet hanging by his door.   
  
“ _Peter! Oh my God, are you okay_?” Pepper asked immediately, not even stopping to say hello; Peter sat down on his bed; the sound of her voice brought tears to his eyes, “ _I’ve been so worried about you_.”   
  
Peter sniffled before answering, “I’m okay, Mum, I’m good.”   
  
“ _You’re a terrible liar, sweetheart_.”  
  
Peter wiped away tears with the back of his hand, “I know.” He agreed, “It’s been...hard. I had to make sure I kept Dad safe...from…”  
  
“ _The team_?” Pepper asked as if the thought was on her mind too.  
  
Peter nodded, “Yeah, kinda. They do shout at him...” He raised his eyebrows and mumbled,  “And that was before Ultron.”   
  
“ _And you stood up for him_.” She said softly, “ _Like you always have._ ”  
  
“Yeah.” He bowed his head into his chest, “And sometimes I wish…”  
  
“ _That they didn’t come back_ …” Pepper said, “... _the Avengers. I get it, honey, I feel the same way sometimes_.”  
  
“I love them, but it’s…..” Peter let out a deep breath making sure he didn’t break down over a phone call; it would only worry her more.   
  
“ _No kid should have this on their shoulders_.”  
  
“I guess I’m not an everyday kid.”  
  
“ _No_.” She sighed,  “ _You’re amazing, you know that?_ ”   
  
“I guess.”  
  
“ _You are_.” She cleared her throat, “ _But..that doesn’t stop me from being angry with you._ ” She raised her voice slightly, but she didn’t shout, knowing that wasn’t what he needed, “ _What did you think you were doing sneaking onto the ship like that_?”  
  
“I don’t think I was.” Peter admitted, “Sorry, Mum.”   
  
“ _Just stay safe, okay_?”   
  
“I will.” He promised, “When are you getting back? I miss you.”  
  
“ _Today_.” She said, “ _I’m heading off in an hour, hopefully. Happy is just arguing with a hotel manager who lost one of my bags_.”   
  
Peter laughed under his breath, “Sounds like Happy.”  
  
“ _I better go and stop him from threatening their jobs_.” Pepper said, “ _I’ll be home soon, promise_.”   
  
“I’ll see you then.” Peter smiled, “I love you.”   
  
“ _Love you too, sweetie_.”


	77. Be My Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay.

Peter travelled down to lab after ending his call with Pepper; he could see Clint in the room below, messing around with old radio equipment, trying his best to find Natasha. Tony and Bruce were bouncing around the Cradle containing the humanoid Ultron was trying to create; Peter clicked the door open, “Hey.”  
  
“Hey, kid.” Tony sang, “How’s Mum?”  
  
“She’s good. She’ll be back today..” Peter told him.   
  
“ _Hello, Peter._ ” The familiar voice of Jarvis echoed around the room; Peter stopped in his tracks as a smile spread across his face, “ _How are you_?”   
  
Peter looked up to Tony, who was beaming from ear to ear; Peter grinned as tears brimmed in his eyes, “Jarvis? You’re okay.”   
  
“ _All functions operational_.”   
  
“It’s good to hear your voice again.” Peter said, bouncing onto one of the chairs, “Thought we’d lost you.”   
  
“ _It is good to talk to you once more, Peter._ ”   
  
Peter looked over at the computer screen where Bruce was working, and his stomach dropped, “Wait, you’re not destroying it.” He scanned the screen, “You’re downloading Jarvis’ into it.”   
  
“Yeah.” Tony said softly, “You’re way too clever kid, no idea where you get it from.”  
  
“Shut it down.” Peter said, his tone stopping both Tony and Bruce in their tracks, “I know why you’re doing this, to try and fix what you did with Ultron. You can’t fix a mistake by making another mistake….”  
  
“It’s not a mistake, Pete, it’s gonna work.” Tony told him, “I know it is.”  
  
“Like you knew Ultron would.” Peter sighed, “Dad...you need to shut this down.”   
  
“I know this is going to work bud.”   
  
“The genetic coding tower’s at ninety-seven percent.” Bruce said, interrupting their altercation, “Tony, you have to upload that schematic in the next three minutes.”  
  
Tony looked back to Peter, who shook his head, “Don’t.”  
  
“I’m sorry, bud.” Tony rushed over to the screen as he began typing.  
  
Peter fell back into the shadows, “I’m sorry too.”   
  
“What?” Tony asked.  
  
“Nothing.” Peter hummed, he held out his arm behind him, “This better work.”  
  
“I’m gonna say this once,” Steve said as he walked into the lab, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff close behind him.  
  
Tony exhaled deeply, “What about _nonce_?”  
  
“Shut it down!” Steve ordered.  
  
“Nope, not gonna happen!” Tony exclaimed as he skipped over to another computer.  
  
“You don’t know what you’re doing.” Steve snapped, stepping closer.  
  
“At least I’m not the one who brought along Violet and Flash Parr.” Tony shouted, “Especially when one of them hurt Peter!”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Wanda said truthfully; she looked over to Peter, “I regret that... I do.”  
  
Peter nodded, unsure of what he could say to her, especially when her vision was still prominent in his mind.   
  
“How do we know that she isn’t in your head, Cap?” Bruce asked, “She’s done it to others.”  
  
“Banner, after everything that’s happened…” Steve said, knowing he would never get through to Tony.  
  
“That’s nothing compared to what’s coming!” Tony shouted.   
  
Wanda stepped closer, “You don’t know what’s in there!”  
  
“This isn’t a game…” Steve sighed.  
  
A piece of tech flew through the door at top speed, heading straight for Peter, the noise stopped the fight in its tracks, and they all turned to look at him. Tony rushed forward, wondering what it was, he stopped in his tracks when his son held his arms out, the tech surrounded his them forming _Iron Man_ like gloves, “Finally.”   
  
Pietro took this moment of shock to run around the lab at top speed, disconnecting the wires and pipes from the Cradle; they all turned their attention to him, “No, no. Go on. You were saying?”   
  
The glass shattered underneath him as Clint shot at the glass, “Pietro!” Wanda screamed, running to his aid.  
  
“I’m re-routing the upload!” Tony exclaimed rushing to the computer.  
  
Peter watched as Steve threw his shield, it ricocheted around the lab shattering the computers; his dad surrounded himself in the Iron Man armour and turned to stun Steve, Peter charged forward, powering up his glove; the energy from his and Tony’s met, sending out a shock wave that sent them all flying backwards.  
  
Thor bolted in, as everyone slowly pushed themselves up he charged on top of the Cradle and placed the hammer down on it, lightening surrounded it.  
  
“Wait!” Steve shouted.   
  
Thor stood back up, watching the Cradle intently; it exploded in a burst of light sending Thor flying back, the figure jumped out landing in a knelt position surrounded by the cool mist from within the Cradle.   
  
Ultron’s Vision stared up at Thor. There were a few seconds of silence before it flew forward, Thor tried to stop it, but it crashed through the glass heading straight for the main section of the building. Thor rushed after it, as Steve leapt over.  
  
Peter and Tony both used their thrusters to fly down to the floor below; Tony deactivated his suit as they stepped onto the scene. The Vision was floating by the window looking out onto the nightlife of New York.   
  
Vision flew back down and stopped by Thor’s side, “I am sorry. That was...odd.” It said, in Jarvis’ familiar tone, it turned to Thor, “Thank you.”

Vision started changing his appearance; he copied Thor’s cape with a golden one of his own.   
  
“Thor.” Steve said through gritted teeth, “You helped create this?”   
  
“I’ve had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its centre is that.” Thor explained, pointing at the yellow stone on Vision’s forehead.   
  
“What? The gem?” Bruce asked.  
  
“It’s the mind stone. It’s one of the six Infinity Stones. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.”   
  
“Then why would you bring…” Steve began.  
  
“Because Stark is right.” Thor interrupted, Peter playfully nudged Tony’s arm.   
  
“Oh, it’s definitely the end times.” Bruce sighed.  
  
“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron,” Thor told them.  
  
“Not alone.” Vision said.  
  
“Why does your “vision” sound like Jarvis?” Steve asked.  
  
“We...we reconfigured Jarvis’ matrix to create something new,” Tony explained, walking around to study Vision, he stopped next to Banner.   
  
“I think I’ve had my fill of new.” Steve hummed.  
  
“You think I’m a child of Ultron?” Vision asked softly, looking to Steve.  
  
“You’re not?” He asked.  
  
“I’m not Ultron. I’m not Jarvis... I am...I am….” He stuttered, looking over to Bruce and Tony.  
  
Wanda stepped over to Vision, “I looked in your head and saw annihilation.”  
  
“Look again.”  
  
Clint stepped in as he chuckled sourly, “Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me.”  
  
“Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they’re nothing compared to what it can unleash.” Thor began, “But with it on our side…”  
  
“Is it?” Steve snapped.  
  
“Can we please stop calling him it?” Peter chimed in; Vision turned to him and smiled warmly, “It seems rude.”   
  
“Thank you.” Vision said gently.  
  
“Okay, are you on our side?” Steve questioned.    
  
Vision looked at him, “I don’t think it’s that simple.”   
  
“Well, it better get real simple real soon,” Steve told him.  
  
“I am on the side of life.” Vision told him, “Ultron isn’t, he will end it all.”   
  
“What’s he waiting for?” Tony asked.  
  
“You.”  
  
Bruce stepped in, “Where?”   
  
“Sokovia.” Clint answered, “He’s got Nat there too.”  
  
Bruce gestured to Vision, “If we’re wrong about you if you’re the monster that Ultron made you to be…”  
  
“What will you do?” Vision asked; he watched them all dart their eyes away from him, afraid to answer his question, “I don’t want to kill Ultron. He’s unique, and he’s in pain.” He darted his eyes over to Peter, recognising how young he was, Peter nodded, signalling for him to carry on, “But that pain will roll over the earth…so he must be destroyed. Every form he’s built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others.”  
  
Vision walked past them; he looked down at his hands, “Maybe I am a monster. I don’t think I’d know if I were one. I’m not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me.” He reached down, “But we need to go.” He turned, holding out Mjölnir towards Thor.  
  
Peter gasped as he recoiled in shock; everyone else just stood perfectly still, silent as they stared at the AI. Thor looked at Vision like a deer caught in headlights, as he leaned forward and took his hammer, “Well.” He nodded his gratitude before turning away, heading to Tony. “Well done.” He tapped his shoulder as he walked towards the balcony.   
  
Steve looked at the group, “Three minutes. Get what you need.”   
  
Tony turned to Peter with his arms crossed over his chest; he pointed down to the gloves still wrapped around Peter’s hands, “What the _hell_ are they?”   
  
“I got bored after doing homework.” Peter shrugged, deactivating them and pulling them off, “Thought they might come in handy one day.”  
  
Tony held his hand out, and Peter placed on down in his palm; Tony studied them, fascinated by his son’s work. “How do you call them to you?”   
  
“Basic fingerprint tracking mechanism.” He shrugged, “Only works short distance, though.”  
  
“Very impressive.”   
  
“Not as impressive as him.” Peter said gesturing to Vision, who was talking to Thor, “Sorry, Dad, guess I was wrong.”  
  
“No, you had a right to be worried.” He sighed, “But it worked out in the end.”  
  
“So, is he liked your child?” Peter asked as mischievous grin crawled on his face, “And Bruce’s...like are you two parents?”   
  
“No…” Tony tutted, his voice high pitched.  
  
“And Uncle Thor!” Peter exclaimed, “So, am I Vision’s older or younger brother?”  
  
“Shut up.”   
  
“Okay.” Peter nudged his shoulder, “I’ll go and help the twins fight some kit to wear.”  
  
“Wait, no.” Tony said defensively, “Not after what she did to you.”  
  
“Dad, they’re okay.” Peter said, “I don’t think they’re dangerous; they were just scared."   
  
“Peter…”  
  
“I can take care of myself, dad.” Peter held up the gloves, “The room is literally down there.”   
  
“Okay…” Tony said warily, “Be careful.”  
  
“Always.” 


	78. The Children of War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super short because it didn't fit in with the other chapters.

Peter guided Pietro and Wanda down to one of the lockers, which was stacked full of clothing for all sizes either prepared for a day out at the gym or a _battle to save the world_. “Men's is over there…” He pointed to the left-hand side, Pietro walked over to the shelves, “And women's is there.”  
  
“Thanks,” Wanda muttered under her breath.  
  
“Um, Pietro.” Peter stuttered, “You should wear these.” He pulled down a pale sky blue shirt and Adidas trainers, “They’re all friction proof. So you don’t have to worry about your clothes catching fire when you run. Don’t ask why they’re friction proof; I think my dad just wanted to meet someone with superspeed.”  
  
Pietro snorted taking the pile from Peter’s hand, “Thank you, kid.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, “You can’t be that much older than me.”   
  
“We’re seventeen.” He answered, “What are you? _Eleven_?”  
  
“I’m _thirteen_.”   
  
“Little defensive,” Pietro said, placing the new shirt on.  
  
“You need anything, Wanda?” Peter asked, turning on his heel; she snapped out of her daze and turned to look at him, “We have everything.”  
  
“I found something.” Pietro reached into the cupboard and pulled out a scarlet red leather jacket, he threw, and it hit his sister in the face, she scrawled at him, “Don’t take it personal Peter, she doesn’t like talking to anyone.”  
  
“Shut up, Pietro.”   
  
“Wanda, just so you know, I’m not angry at you.” Peter said softly, she turned to look at him, “You were scared, both of you. I know what happened to you and I’m sorry. I lost my parents too; it’s hard---”  
  
“Isn’t Stark your Father?” Pietro asked, interrupting him.   
  
“He is.” Peter said, “He adopted me when I was a baby.”  
  
“What were you saying before Pietro cut you off?"  
  
“My parents are trying so hard to make Stark Industries into something better…” Peter said, “They stopped making weapons and started to help people…”  
  
Wanda stared at him, “What changed him?”  
  
“He saw innocent people die, and he couldn’t keep watching.” Peter shrugged, “Then he found out his old friend was dealing behind his back, hurting people like you, so he stopped him. Well, my Mum helped out.”  
  
“I guess Stark isn’t as bad as we thought then.” Pietro said; he tapped Peter’s shoulder, “See you later, Peter.”   
  
“Good luck.”  
  
“Thank you.” Wanda pushed her brother’s back as they walked up to meet with the other Avengers.  
  
Peter shut the lights off; he looked up to see everyone gathering, ready for a battle. The realisation weighed heavily on his chest; he noticed Steve, stood on the sidelines. Peter took a deep breath before walking over, “Uncle Steve.”  
  
“Peter?”  
  
“Can I ask you something?” Peter asked quietly. Steve studied his face, registering the fear behind Peter’s eyes, he nodded to tell Peter to carry on, “Don’t let him die…I know it’s a war, but I can’t lose my dad.”  
  
“Peter, I promise I will try my best to keep him safe.” Steve said gently, “And bring him back home.”  
  
“And _umm_ , be careful.”  
  
“We will.”   
  
Peter darted over and threw himself around his dad, Tony held him close. Every time Tony left for a battle with high stakes, they had to prepare for the eventuality that he might not make it back, and it was terrifying to both of them. Tony couldn’t imagine leaving Peter behind, and Peter couldn’t imagine life without Tony. No matter how much they willed for a positive outcome, they knew wishful thinking wasn’t always going to save them.  
  
“Okay, Peter, if I don’t go now. I’ll never leave.” Tony said, gently pushed on his shoulders, “I’ll see you soon, hey?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded, “Um, stay safe."  
  
“I'll try.” Tony reassured him, “Love you.”  
  
“To the moon and back.”


	79. Feels Like Home (AOU)

Peter paced around the empty Avengers tower, the new artificial intelligence, _Friday,_ which Tony had installed before leaving, wouldn’t let Peter check newsreels or footage coming out of Sokovia; he couldn’t tell if that was a relief or if it was making the experience harder, he settled on feeling both.   
  
It wasn’t until the late hours of the morning when Peter was snapped back into reality. 

Pepper rushed in, with Happy a few steps behind. She froze at the sight of her son. 

Peter smiled warmly, ready to welcome her son. However, when she stepped closer, his smile crumbled, and his bottom lip trembled. It had been four days since he'd seen her, but with everything that had happened, _it felt like months._

“Hey…” Pepper rushed forward, enveloping him in a hug rubbing his back in comfort, “It’s okay.”   
  
Peter gently leaned back in her arms, “I saw you and Dad, I saw you…”   
  
“I know.” Pepper cried, “I know what you saw.” She placed a hand on his cheek, brushing away his tears, “And that’s isn’t going to happen.”  
  
Peter nodded, but he knew neither Pepper or Tony could ever promise them that his vision wouldn't come true. “I missed you.”  
  
“I missed you too.” She scanned the injury on his forehead, “That look like it hurt.”  
  
“Not really.”  
  
“ _Hello, Miss. Potts._ ” Friday greeted, her voice echoing through the building.  
  
“Who is that?” Pepper asked.  
  
“Well now that Jarvis is gone, Dad installed Friday, she’s nice,” Peter explained.   
  
“ _Thank you, Peter._ ”   
  
Peter peered over to Happy and grinned,  “Hey Happy.”  
  
“Hey, kid.” Happy said, “Glad you’re okay. I’ll take your bags to your room Pepper.”  
  
“Thank you, Happy.”   
  
“Have you heard anything from Dad?” Peter asked Pepper, “It’s just Friday won’t let me see what’s going on in Sokovia.”  
  
“No, I’m sorry.” She admitted, “The last piece of news I heard was that the team were evacuating the city.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter sighed.  
  
“ _Peter, Miss. Potts,  I have just received a message from Mr. Stark_.”  
  
“What did he say?!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
“ _The team are on their way back, and Ultron has been defeated_.” Friday began, “ _Boss will send you coordinates to meet them as they are returning on the helicarrier._ ”  
  
Peter wrapped an arm around Peter, “Come on, let’s go.”

* * *

 

Peter, Pepper and Happy arrived at the disclosed location just as the Helicarrier was landing. Pepper had to keep a tight hold on Peter’s hand to hold him back, knowing fully well that he would try and charge on before it had never landed. All three of them waited impatiently, bouncing on their feet with nerve-wracking anticipation.  
  
It felt a little like the day Tony had arrived home after being held captive for three months, _all those years ago_. The ramp opened the reveal the team, _well most of them_ , Peter noticed straight away the absence of Bruce. He tried to think positively; he looked over to Natasha, who was at the front, walking alone, with her head bowed into her chest.   
  
Peter charged forward, “Auntie Nat!” Her face lit up at the sight of him; they collided together in a hug.  
  
She leaned back to look at him, “I hope I didn’t worry you.”  
  
“I knew you were gonna be okay.” He told her, "Is he...is Uncle Bruce…”  
  
“He’s not dead.” She said reassuringly, “He's just...gone.”  
  
Peter sighed in relief, “Are you okay?”  
  
“Yeah.” She nodded, “I’m good.”  
  
Peter looked over to the rest of the team, and that’s when it hit him. Clint was stood with an arm wrapped tightly around the shaken form of Wanda; Pietro was nowhere to be seen, “Oh, no.” 

"Pietro died saving Clint, and a little boy," Natasha explained, confirming his fear. Peter blinked away tears, he watched through bleary-eyes as Clint placed a kiss in Wanda's hair like Tony did to comfort Peter, and Clint probably did with his children too. Wanda buried her face in Clint's shoulder as she sobbed, “I think Clint’s taking most of the blame.”

Peter stared at Wanda, tears brimming in his eyes. He wished he could help her, but losing her brother; it would be a heavy loss that she would have to recover from.   
  
“Peter?” Tony said cautiously.

 Peter tore his attention away from Wanda, and leapt over, pulling both his parents in a hug. He rested his forehead on both their shoulders and let out a shaky breath. Pietro's death had triggered something in him, a fear he would never be able to shake. So, he held onto his parents as tightly as he could, as their comfort always helped ease his suffering.  
  
“Is it over?” Peter mumbled.  
  
“Yeah….” Tony said, “It’s over.”

* * *

**THREE WEEKS LATER**

 Peter had been so busy with his last few weeks of middle school, that he hadn’t had the chance to see the team or visit the newly converted Avengers Headquarters. He had been downhearted because it meant he was unable to sections of the building which he had helped design.   
  
When the day finally came, he couldn’t quite believe his eyes as they parked up, “What do you think, bud?” Tony asked as he bounced out of the car.  
  
Peter looked around his wide-eyes, “It’s awesome.”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony nodded, “Let’s get inside.”  
  
Peter skipped over to Tony’s side, buzzing with excitement as they walked up to the main doors. “Don’t we...like need a pass?” Peter asked, knowing that Happy was in charge of security, and he was a stickler for safety.  
  
“We don’t need one,” Tony told him. Peter’s narrowed his eyes, but jumped back when the doors automatically opened, “Friday recognises us through her biometric scanner.”  
  
“Oh.” Peter relaxed, he noticed a computer screen presenting a picture of him and Tony as they walked through, “Cool.”  
  
Tony nudged his shoulder, “Consider yourself lucky, kiddo. She only does that for the team, you, and your mum. Everyone else has to have a badge.”  
  
Peter chuckled,  it indescribably exhilarating to be on the same security level as the Avengers, one of which was a literal Norse God.  
  
“Talking about badges…” Tony started as they paced the entrance way, “If you and Ned wanna use the labs here for whatever you two get up to. You’ll have to collect Ned’s security pass from Happy.  
  
Peter stopped in his tracks, and he gasped, “Wait, wait.” He blurted, “Ned and I can use the labs?!”  
  
Tony held up his hand, “Within reason and under supervision.”  
  
Peter stumbled back a few paces and placed a hand on his chest; sure his heart was about to leap out his chest, “Wow.”  
  
Tony nudged his shoulder playfully, “I’ve gotta talk to Cap, and Thor. Why don’t you and go and explore?”  
  
“Okay!” Peter exclaimed he charged away without even saying goodbye; he listened to Tony chuckling to himself until he turned into the main body of the building.  
  
He slowed back because the staff were all dotted around, hard at work, and Peter didn’t want to be known as the obnoxious teenager who got in the way.  
  
Peter turned in an empty corridor getting away from the crowds, “Um, Friday, can you hear me?”  
  
_“Yes, Peter.”_  
  
“Do you know where Auntie Nat is?”  
  
_“Agent Romanoff is currently on Level Two, outside the training rooms.”_  
  
“And where is that?”  
  
_“Plotting highlighted route for you now.”_  
  
A stream of red and gold lights lit up on the wall to his right, lighting his path. Tony had never been one for subtlety, “Whoa!”   
  
He followed the lights, up into the elevator, and onto the second floor. The trail came to an end, and he swung around the corner.  
  
Natasha was stood in the centre, staring at the wall in front of her, intently. Lost in thought. Peter thought about changing course and leaving her alone because she looked like she didn’t want to be interrupted.  
  
“Hey, Peter.” She greeted not even turning to look at him.  
  
Peter snorted as he stepped into the room, “How do you do that?”  
  
“That’s top secret.” She mused, turning around, “Hey.” She moved over and pulled him into a hug. She relaxed in his hold, laying her head on the comfort of his shoulder.  
  
Peter held onto her tightly, “You okay?”   
  
“Yeah.” She squeezed his arm before stepping back.  
  
“Nothing from Uncle Bruce?”  
  
“No.” She said quietly as she shook her head.  
  
“He’s okay...I know he is.” He reassured her, she nodded.  
  
“So..” Natasha spun around, “You like it?”  
  
“It’s great,” Peter said, dotting his eyes around.  
  
“I’m guessing you had something to do with the trampoline room.”  
  
Peter’s cheeks blushed red, and he shrugged, “Maybe.”  
  
“What’s a little work without play, hey?” She winked, she took her phone off her belt, “Wanna see something?”  
  
“Always.” Natasha scrolled her phone and brought up a picture of a baby boy, obviously Clint and Laura’s newborn.  
  
“Aw, he’s so cute.” Peter cooed, he noticed that the baby was wearing a babygrow with his name printed on the front.  He smiled sadly and looked up at his aunt, “Nathaniel _Pietro_ Barton.”  
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“Sounds like a superhero.” A mischievous grin grew on his face, “So, does this mean I’m not your favourite nephew?”  
  
“I don’t do favourites.”  
  
Peter tilted his head into his shoulder, “Oh, okay.”  
  
Natasha knocked his shoulder with hers,  “You’re my favourite Stark.”  
  
“Obviously.”  
  
Natasha snorted a laugh and spun on her foot, “How do you feel about your dad’s retirement?”  
  
Peter held out his hands, “Ehh. He doesn’t call it that.”  
  
“What does he call it?”  
  
“So far, just his ‘ _eehh._ ’”  
  
“That’s just noise.”  
  
“I know.” Peter laughed, “He says he’s not payroll anymore, but he’s not gonna let the suits collect dust.”  
  
“Oh.” She nodded knowingly, “So, like a semi-retirement?  
  
“Yeah, exactly.”   
  
Peter willed it to be permanent; he had never wanted something more. He wanted to live his life never faced with the fear of losing his dad in an intergalactic battle between aliens or superbots.  
  
But, he knew Tony too well.   
  
He couldn’t just drop everything when he still had the strength and resources to protect people.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	80. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Description of throwing up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have finally made it to the origins of Spider-Man! 
> 
> I seriously can't explain in words how much this fanfiction means to me, and how amazingly terrifying this journey has been so far.
> 
> But it wouldn't be my fanfiction if I didn't have four continuous chapters of good-old-fashioned Peter whump! So this is my take on Peter's spider bite.

**SIX MONTHS LATER (December 2015)**

Tony was woken by Pepper gently shaking his arm. He groaned as he stretched and turned away from her, he pulled on the duvet as she kept patting his arm. He muttered inaudible arguments under his breath, which Pepper couldn’t hope to understand; he tried to escape her grasp, but she was persistent. He chuckled mischievously when a pillow slammed down on his face; he brought his hands up and tried to defend himself from Pepper’s _malicious_ attack.   
  
“I’m up; I’m up.” He sat upright and caught the pillow in his hands, throwing it off the bed, “What time is it?”  
  
“Half seven.” Pepper told him, “I think Peter might have slept in. We’ve usually heard him by now.”  
  
“Uh, I’ll go and see.” Tony said, springing out of bed, “He did say he had a headache when he got back yesterday.”   
  
“That’s why we made him go to bed early.” Pepper yawned, “Maybe he’s coming down with something.”  
  
“Let’s not jinx it, we both who Peter’s like when he’s sick.” Tony groaned, “I knew he shouldn’t have gone on the trip, one afternoon at Oscorp Industries, and _bam_ he’s sick.”  
  
Pepper rolled her eyes, having spent over two decades watching Tony fight against the Oscorp family, she was used to their ridiculous feud, “I don’t think that’s the reason.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll see.” Tony said as he headed out towards Peter’s room, he knocked a few times, waiting for Peter’s usual sleepy response. Silence greeted him. He clicked the door open and peered in, “Kiddo?”  
  
The room was pitch black. The only light was beaming through from behind Tony; he stepped into to get a better view. He could just about make out the outline of Peter; he was curled in the centre of his bed covered by his duvet and dozens of blankets. Tony blinked to adjust to the lack of light, when he could finally see Peter’s face, the world collapsed around him in an instant.   
  
Peter’s skin was a daunting chalk-white, which was only emphasised by his matted dark hair. His body was rigid, and his expression was relaxed, there wasn’t an etch of pain on his face.   
  
Tony realised how humid the room was, though his son was wrapped in a cocoon of covers, he was even wearing Tony’s red MIT sweatshirt.   
  
“Peter!” He shouted, trying his best to maintain a gentle tone. He charged over, sitting by his son’s side. He clamped his hand on his shoulder and shook him. He just needed a sign, a wince or a mumble, something to tell him that Peter was _okay_. “Bud, please. I need you to wake up now.” He threaded his fingers through Peter’s sweat-ridden hair, “Come on!”  
  
Peter winced, he bowed his face into his pillow as his expression melted into one of pure agony. Tony had never felt more relieved, even though they weren’t out of the dark yet, at least Peter’s cries were a sign of life.   
  
Tony kept twiddling Peter’s hair, as he sobbed into his pillow, “I got you, bud.”   
  
“Dad?” Peter cracked, his tone was almost childlike, and Tony could tell he was afraid.  
  
“Morning, sunshine.” Tony said softly maintaining his persona, not wanting to scare Peter more than he already was, “Can you look at me?”  
  
“Um,” Peter rolled his head up and blinked rapidly as he looked up at Tony.  
  
“There you are.” Tony said, still brushing his hand through his hair, “You’re gonna be okay.”  
  
“I, I, I have school.” Peter stuttered sitting upright, Tony placed a firm hand on his shoulder trying to get him to lie back down, but Peter didn’t budge, “I have--test.”  
  
“Not today, you don’t.” Tony said, “Come on; let’s lie back down.”  
  
Peter shook his head; his throat cracked, “No, _no_ , don’t want to.”   
  
“Okay, okay.” Tony said, relaxing his arms, “You don’t have to.”  
  
“Wanna go to the couch.”   
  
“The couch?” He asked, “You want to go to the couch?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Peter hiccuped, “Couch.”  
  
Tony hummed and nodded, “Okay...” He pondered for a second, “You think you can walk or do want me to...attempt to carry you?”  
  
“I can; I can walk.” Peter said unsurely, “I _can_.”  
  
“Yeah?” Tony locked his arm around his shoulders, “One step at a time.” He stepped off the bed, slowly guiding Peter to do the same; his son wobbled on the spot as soon as he stood up, “It’s alright.”   
  
Peter’s head fell into the comfort of Tony’s shoulder, “I feel ill.”  
  
“No, really?” Tony teased as he helped Peter walk out of the room; straight away, he knew Peter wouldn’t be able to make it down the stairs, so he headed toward the elevator.   
  
Peter abruptly stopped and jolted upright; he lunged away from Tony’s side. He stumbled into the bathroom, and collapsed down by the side of the toilet; Tony hurried after him. Peter tried to speak, but instead, he broke down in a serious of violent gags and threw up into the bowl.

Tony knelt beside him; he rubbed his hand in circular motions on Peter's back as his son emptied the contents of his stomach. “You’re alright.” It went on for a while, longer than Tony was comfortable with; he was surprised that his son hadn’t thrown up his lung by the side it finally subsided. 

“Dad,” Peter sobbed, leaning back into Tony’s hand, which was nestled in his unruly hair, “Make it stop.”  
  
“It’s okay. I can’t stop it, but it will go away. You’ll feel better soon.”  
  
Peter moved over, nuzzling his face in Tony’s shoulder, “That’s such a _dad_ lie.”   
  
“Ah, I’m sorry, kiddo.” He rubbed his back, “Still wanna go to the couch?”  
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“Tony? What’s going on?” Pepper asked, appearing in the doorframe, “Oh my. Peter.”  
  
Tony turned to look at her while he twiddled Peter’s hair, “No school today.”   
  
“Yeah.” Pepper nodded, concern tangled in her tone, “And no work for us.”  
  
“Definitely.”  
  
Peter cried into Tony’s shoulder, “Sorry.”   
  
“No, it's not your fault, sweetie.” Pepper reassured him, “I’ll go and call Midtown.”  
  
“Thanks, Pep.”   
  
Peter smacked his lips together, “Ugh, taste horrible.”   
  
“I bet.” Tony stood up, he closed the toilet lid and flushed it. He crouched down, “Come on, bud.” He looped his arms under Peter’s arms, and helped him up onto the closed toilet seat, “Don’t worry, you’ll be tucked up on the couch before you know it.” Tony reached over to the sink, picking up a bottle of mouthwash, and a plastic cup used for late night cups of water. He poured the mouthwash into the lid and placed it into Peter’s trembling hands.  
  
Peter swirled it around his mouth while Tony kept his head upright by keeping a hand pressed under his chin, propping him up; he held up the cup in front of Peter. “I know it’s not that decent, but we work with what we have.” Peter spat out the mouthwash, “That better?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“Come on then,” Tony held out his arm and helped Peter up onto his feet.  
  
Peter stepped in front of Tony, who kept a hand pressed on his shoulder, keeping him held upright. They both stumbled out of the bathroom; Peter stopped again, “I--”  
  
“Need to throw up again?”   
  
“No, no.” Peter shook his head as the ground beneath him softened, “I, I need…”  
  
“Okay, _okay_ ,” Tony lowered Peter down onto the floor as his son grew heavier in his arms, he swiftly moved around and held Peter in a sitting position, “You’re alright, I got you.”   
  
Peter scrunched his eyes together, “I-”  
  
Tony brushed a hand over Peter’s cheek, keeping him held up, “Pepper!” He called desperately, trying his best not to startle Peter.   
  
“ _Dad_ \--” Peter cried, “I don’t---”  
  
Tony snapped his head back, “Hey, you’re gonna be okay.”  
  
“I’m so--” Peter’s eyelids fluttered, his face limply fell into Tony’s shoulder as darkness swallowed him whole. 


	81. Okay

Peter blinked into consciousness; he scrunched his eyes shut when the change in light overwhelmed him. He winced as a sharp pain travelled up his spine straight to the back of his skull; he could hear the distant echoes of machines beeping, and people muttering. Something cold, and plastic rubbed against his cheeks; he slowly moved his hand up to see what it was.  
  
“No, _no_.” A gentle voice spoke, a hand wrapped around his wrist and took his hand, laying it back down to his side, “Don’t do that, buddy.”  
  
Peter couldn’t place the voice; it seemed so distant and slow. He knew it was Tony, though; only his dad called him ‘ _buddy_.’ Peter attempted to lock his fingers around Tony’s grasp but struggled, his breath hitched in desperation.   
  
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Tony said softly, “I got you.”  
  
Peter turned his head and narrowly opened his eyes, “Too bright.” He managed to cry out before snapping his eyes shut again.   
  
“Friday, can you dim the lights, please?”   
  
The pain in Peter’s head eased as the lights in the room dimmed, he exhaled in relief and pulled Tony’s hand closer.   
  
“You with me, kiddo?”   
  
Peter opened his eyes and blinked a few times until he could make out the figure of Tony sat by his bedside. Tony looked terrified, his eyes were bloodshot, and tears were quietly teasing down his cheeks, “Dad?”  
  
“Hey.” He swallowed the lump in his throat; he bounced onto his tiptoes, so he could lean over and kiss Peter’s hair, “Really scared us there, bud.”  
  
Peter scanned the room, “Where are we?”  
  
“Avengers Headquarters.” Tony said, “In the infirmary.”   
  
“I don’t---” He brought his spare hand to his face, trying to remember why he was there.   
  
“Hey, try not to pull that, Pete.” Tony cautioned, leaning up again to move Peter’s hand back to his lap.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“A nasal cannula."  
  
Peter hummed, he realised that the cannula wasn’t the only thing; he had also been changed into a fresh set of pyjamas, and there was an IV connected to the back of his right hand, “What--what happened?”  
  
Tony let out a hesitant sigh, “You don’t remember?”   
  
“You woke me up,” Peter’s voice drifted off, “That’s all,” He sniffled as everything became too much to bear, “I don’t, Dad, I don’t remember.”  
  
“Peter, Peter, it’s okay.” Tony reassured him, “I’m here.”  
  
“But,” He cried, “What happened?”  
  
“You collapsed at home, and we brought you straight here.”  
  
“Oh,” Peter leaned his head into his pillow, “Sorry.”  
  
“No more apologies, please.” Tony pleaded, “You’ve done nothing wrong.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter turned to look at him, “I can I sit up, please?”  
  
“Hang out a second,” Tony let go of his hand and grabbed the small device; he pressed the button, and the back of the bed lifted until Peter was sat upright, “That good?”   
  
“Yes.” Peter’s chin began to tremble; he peered away from Tony as his defences collapsed. He didn’t break quietly, though he desperately wanted too. He couldn’t tell why he was crying. _Was it just the pain, or was it everything else that happened?_ Or, was it merely the expression he’d seen on Tony’s face? Peter had never seen him so terrified, and his dad was _Iron Man_ , he’d fought an intergalactic battle with aliens.  It was Stark trait to blame yourself for everything, even things that couldn’t possibly be your fault. Peter knew that, but it didn’t stop his thoughts from caving in on themselves.  
  
Peter couldn’t hear Tony pleading for him to look at him. The world was silent around him; all he could hear was his own cries. He suddenly felt a gentle touch lifting and moving him to the side of the bed; he shifted his eyes to see that Tony had settled down next to him.  
  
“Dad--”  
  
Tony shushed him before wrapping an arm around him; Peter melted into his side, laying his head on his chest as he wept. Tony didn’t say anything. The word ‘ _okay_ ’ only stretched so far, and Tony couldn’t possibly repeat it, knowing deep down that it was a lie; this wasn’t _okay_ , and they weren’t _okay_. Peter just needed Tony to be there, like he always had been, holding him up at his lowest moments.   
  
Peter heard the door click open, followed by an audible gasp from Pepper. He opened his eyes, but kept his head nuzzled on Tony’s chest; he locked eyes with Pepper, “Mum?”   
  
“Hey baby,” Pepper leaned over, brushing her hand over his cheek, “I’m here.” She sat herself down in the chair Tony had been in. Peter stretched out his hand, and she took hold of it.  
  
“I’m sor-- I’m sorry I scared you,” Peter wept; Tony shook his head as he tightened his grip around his son.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Pepper reassured him.

* * *

Peter fell asleep with his face nestled into Tony’s chest; his parents couldn’t find the strength to follow suit. They both decided to stay awake, so they could guarantee that they would be there for him when he woke up again. They chuckled lightly amongst themselves when they heard Peter’s habitual snoring; it was reassuring because after he collapsed, he hadn’t made a sound. Hearing him snore meant he was going to be alright.  
  
The door clicked open, and Helen Cho stepped in, smiling warmly at the sight of Peter curled into Tony’s chest, “Good evening.”  
  
“Cho,” Tony said, “I’m sorry we didn’t call for you when he woke up, he just--”  
  
“It’s okay Stark, I understand.” She told him, “I have an update on his tests.”  
  
The second Helen finished speaking; Pepper asked, “It’s not _meningitis_ , is it?”   
  
“Thankfully, not.”  
  
Pepper and Tony let out a deep breath of relief; ever since Helen had proposed that it might be meningitis, the pair had been beyond terrified, “So, what is it?”  
  
“I’m waiting for a few more results,” She peered down at her clipboard, “I believe he has a severe case of the flu, but he’s been through the worst of it already.”  
  
“Thank you,” Pepper said as she squeezed Peter’s hand.  
  
“I’ll come and check on him later.” Helen said, “Friday has already been sending me his vitals, and he’s definitely on the track to recovery.” 


	82. Peter's Laugh

Tony decided shortly before Peter woke up that he wanted to make his son laugh. He thought the task would be fruitless because he had listened to Peter’s heart-wrenching sobs the first time he’d woken up. All of Tony’s life, he had been able to achieve the impossible; he’d be damned if he couldn’t make his son smile.   
  
Peter didn’t move from the comfort of Tony’s chest, not even as he talked to Pepper about the complexity of the _Star Trek_ universe, and why she should watch it. All three of them spoke about nonsense because none of them wanted to dwell on why they were there, and what had happened. _They’d done that_. Peter didn’t need constant and empty reassurance, like every other sick teenager; he just needed a distraction. Things to talk about that could stop him from thinking about what had happened.   
  
“Where are the team?” Peter asked after finally persuading Pepper to sit down and watch _Star Trek_ when they got home.  
  
“Um,” Tony hummed before blowing a raspberry, “The _team_? Wow, I forgot they lived here.”  
  
“You should see the state they’ve left the kitchen in,” Pepper chuckled, “They’re like students.”  
  
“Ugh, at least students pay for their rent.” Tony mocked.  
  
Peter snorted, he moved his head to look up at Dad, “You should give them chores.”  
  
Tony’s face softened at the sight of Peter’s happiness, teasing the Avengers never failed to bring a smile to his face. “Yes, I should draw up a chore chart. Friday, can inform the team?”  
  
“ _Of course, boss_.”  
  
“Dad!” Peter exclaimed as he playfully nudged Tony’s arm with his closed fist as he broke down into a fit of laughter.  
  
“Aren’t they undercover right now?” Pepper asked.  
“Yeah.” Tony chuckled as he gestured his head down at Peter,  Pepper grinned from ear-to-ear, both of them were united in the relief to hear Peter’s laugh.   
  
_“Boss, Miss. Romanoff has said ‘she will only allow this if Peter is the one to decide on the jobs.’”_  
  
“Tell her that’s a done deal.” Tony sang.  
  
“Oh my God, I’m making a chore chart for the Avengers.” Peter giggled mischievously, “Ned is gonna love this.”  
  
“ _Peter, the team, have told me to wish you a_ _steady recovery, and they will be sure to visit you when they return.”_  
  
Tony throw his head back as he cackled, “They’re trying to get out of their chores.”  
  
“Obviously.” Peter grinned, “Thank them, Fri.”   
  
“ _Will do Peter_.”   
  
“What are they doing then?” Peter asked.  
  
“Tracking down Hydra agents, you know the usual.” Tony shrugged.  
  
The door clicked open, and Helen walked in, “Hello, I hope I’m not interrupting.”  
  
“No, of course not,” Pepper told her.  
  
“I just came to check in.” She walked closer to the end of the bed, “How are you feeling Peter?”  
  
“Good.” Peter said honestly, “Just tired if anything.”  
  
“That’s completely understandable.” She told him, “Just tired? Nothing else?”  
  
“I had a headache when I woke up earlier, but it’s gone away now,” Peter told her.  
  
Helen studied him, her face scrunched up in confusion, she let out a faint hum, “I have to say, Peter, I’ve never seen someone bounce back from the flu so quickly.”  
  
“He’s special.” Tony chuckled, leaning his chin back down onto Peter’s head.  
  
“Most definitely.” Helen smiled somewhat unsurely, “Your fever has broken now.”  
  
“Does that mean I can go home?” Peter asked.  
  
“I’d like to keep you here until the morning, but if everything’s all right by then, of course.”  
  
“I miss my bed.” Peter sighed.  
  
“Am I not comfy enough for you?” Tony teased as he threaded his hand through Peter’s hair.  
  
“Shut up.” 

* * *

Peter was woken by the familiar chirp of a text message coming through on his phone, without even looking, he knew they were from Ned. He blinked his eyes open and reached over to the side of his bed, where his phone was sitting. As he gripped it, he noticed that Pepper was still fast asleep by the couch beside the bed, and Tony was passed out beside him; he was surprised that his phone’s annoying chirps hadn’t woken them.   
  
He fumbled for his phone, and held it up; he unlocked it and scrolled to his incredibly long text chain with Ned:  
  
**Ned, 06:30:** Everyone is worried about you, dude!  
**Ned, 06:30:** loads of people keep texting me about you  
**Ned, 06:31:** OMG! DUDE!  
**Ned, 06:31:** Flash just asked me what happened!  
**Ned, 06:31:** FLASH!

Peter quietly dotted his eyes between his parents; his phone pinged again, and the sound echoed through his head. He pressed the down button; his forehead creased when he realised the sound was already turned low, almost on mute, “Strange.”   
  
**Ned, 06:33** : Wait man dude OMG! Liz just texted me!  
  
Peter smiled warmly as he sent his response;

 **Peter, 06:34:** no way! really?!

 **Ned, 06:34** : yeah she’s worried  
 **Ned, 06:34** : she wants to text u but she didn’t wanna wake u

 

  
**Peter, 06:35:** man tell her it’s fine!

  
**Ned, 06:35:** doing it now!  
**Ned, 06:35:** this is crazy!  
**Ned, 06:35:** dude you being sick has made you popular

  
**Peter, 06:36** : yep totally worth it

  
**Ned, 06:36:** nah I was worried

  
**Peter, 06:36** : yeah it sucked. I feel better now.

  
**Ned, 06:36:** good. 

  
Peter went to answer when another notification came through; his heart fluttered when he saw who it was from. He quickly sent Ned a smiley emoji before flipping over to read the text:  
  
**Liz, 06:36:** Hey Peter. I heard what happened, I hope you feel better soon.  
  
Peter’s smile faded when he heard a faint hum coming from by his side; he locked his screen and peered over. Tony was wearing a mischievous grin; he bounced his eyebrows up and down, as he purposefully left an awkward silence hanging between the pair. “ _So_ …” He sang, Peter cringed, “Who’s Liz?”  
  
“No one.” Peter muttered, his tone was unintentionally high-pitched; he coughed into his hand, “No one,” He repeated in a lower tone.  
  
“Okay hotshot.” Tony snorted, “Whatever you say.”  
  
“Dad, she’s just on the Decathlon team.”   
  
Tony faked a sad expression, “They grow up too fast.” Peter let out a low groan and flipped his face away from his dad, trying his best to hide his utter embarrassment, “Are you going to text her back?”  
  
“I hate you.” 


	83. Stronger Than Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to one of my favourite Peter Parker YouTube edits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWVIrmXbaHg

Peter was relieved to step inside his house; part of him knew that was why he recovered so quickly because his heart yearned for home. It wasn’t only him; his parents were relieved too; they both smiled at one another as Peter skipped into the house, greeting Friday with his usual exuberance.  
  
“Peter, sweetie,” Pepper said, “I will go and clean your room ready for you tonight.  
  
“You don’t have to do that.” Peter told her, “I can sleep on the couch.”  
  
Pepper shook his head, “No, no. You deserve to sleep in your bed tonight.”  
  
“Thanks, Mum.”  
  
Tony clasped his arms around Peter’s shoulders and leaned forward, “So, what’s the plan bud?” He asked, gently spinning around.  
  
“Um,” Peter hummed, “I think I’m gonna have a shower.”  
  
Tony tapped Peter’s shoulder before stepping away, “Probably for the best.”  
  
“Are you saying I smell?”   
  
Tony placed his hand on his chest and dropped his jaw in an over-dramatic fashion, “I said no such thing.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes as he backed away towards the stairs, “Whatever.” He clapped his hands together, “I’ll be back down later.”  
  
“Be careful, please.” Pepper said cautiously; Tony nodded in agreement.  
  
“I will be,” Peter promised them as he skipped up the stairs towards the shower room.   
  
He pulled down the handle and pushed gently on the door. _Unconsciously_ , he jumped back a few paces; he didn’t understand why, until he heard the hinges squeak as they snapped. The door collapsed inwards; Peter brought his hands to his ears as it smashed on impact with the bathroom floor.  
  
“What the fu--”  
  
“Peter!” Tony yelped followed by the sound of him and Pepper charging up the stairs chorusing his name.   
  
Peter realised he had his hand grasped around the door handle; he tossed it to the ground just as his parents made it to the top of the stairs.  
  
Tony slid over carpet placing his hand Peter’s shoulders, protectively but unnecessarily pulling him back, “What happened?”  
  
Peter shrugged utterly confused, “The door just...fell.”  
  
“The door just _fell_?” Tony leaned forward to scan the damage, “Wow.”  
  
Pepper turned to look at Peter, “You hurt sweetie?”  
  
“No, no.” Peter shook his head, “It was just...weird.”  
  
“That’s one way to put it.” Tony sighed, squeezing Peter’s shoulder.  
  
“And terrifying.” Peter laughed hesitantly.  
  
 Tony huffed out, “Most _definitely_.”  
  
“Um, Peter darling, why don’t you go and use the other shower room?” Pepper asked, “We’ll clean this up.”   
  
“If you’re sure,” Peter sighed, “Um, sorry.”  
  
“Not your fault, kiddo.” Tony reassured him, “Go on, we’ve got this.”  
  
Peter nodded before pivoting on the spot.

He was overly cautious and gentle when he pushed the door open to the other bathroom.

* * *

Peter got dressed in the guest room after his shower, as Pepper was busy preparing his room, and Tony was cleaning up the mess left by the broken bathroom door. He changed into his _Star Wars_ pyjamas while _AC/DC_ blasted through his speakers; he had asked Friday twice to turn it down, he guessed his head was still recovering from the aftermath of his fever.   
  
He jumped when a soft knocking came at his door, “Yeah?”  
  
“Hey, bud, can I come in?” Tony asked.  
  
“Sure.” He replied, “Mute Fri.”  
  
“Oh, no, I was enjoying that.” Tony chuckled as he stepped in, “I’m glad you adopted my taste in music.”   
  
“Me too.” Peter hummed, “I don’t think Mum is, though.”  
  
“No.” Tony snorted, “You feeling better?”  
  
“Yeah, the shower was great.”   
  
“Good.” Tony clapped his hands together, “The door is all cleaned up now, I’ll fit a new one in tomorrow. I have no idea how it happened.”  
  
“Me neither.” Peter snickered, “It happened too fast.”  
  
“That probably wasn’t the best way to be welcomed home.”   
  
Peter shook his head as he giggled, “Very eventful.” He looked up to his dad, and his smile faded; Tony was studying the floor as he attempted to hide his darkened expression, “Dad? You good?”  
  
Tony looked up, faking his signature grin, “Yeah, yeah. I’m _good_.” Peter raised his eyebrows, knowing he was lying. Tony, gestured to his son, “Okay, it’s just, what happened to you, I didn’t like seeing you like that, I felt helpless.”  
  
“Don’t worry, Dad; I’m better now.” Peter reassured him, “Promise.”  
  
Tony moved his hands back to motion towards his chest, “Good because Pete, I’d rather have a chest full of shrapnel then go through that again.”   
  
“Okay, Dad.” Peter held his thumbs up, “But I don’t wanna go through the whole shrapnel thing again either really.”  
  
“You got it, bud.” Tony smiled, “I’ll see you downstairs.”  
  
“I’ll be down in a second.”   
  
Tony nodded as he turned on his foot and opened the door.  
  
“Hey, Dad?”  
  
He stopped and spun around his foot, “Yeah, bud?”  
  
Peter stared at him, he shook his head and smiled warmly, “Um wait, I can’t remember what I was gonna say.”   
  
“Ah, okay. Ask me when you remember.”   
  
Peter waited until the door clicked shut before dropping his smile and letting out a heavy sigh. He wanted to tell Tony something that had happened on his trip to Oscorp, but then he remembered how terrified his dad had looked when he woke up in the hospital. He never wanted to see that expression again. 

Anyway, it wasn’t that important, he had racked his brain many times, he couldn’t find a way to connect it to his fever, and he was sure he’d started feeling sick before it happened. He was just  _ paranoid _ .    
  
So, he was bitten by a spider?  _ What was the worst that could happen? _


	84. The Space Between Us

Peter’s life changed overnight. It didn’t take him long to realise that his sickness hadn’t just been the flu; it was something more. Something worth the pain. _He had superpowers_. It was the only way he could explain it to himself.

He had super strength, his senses were dialled to eleven, and he had accelerated healing. He didn't even need glasses anyone (he covered that up by telling his parents he started using contacts.)

Every time he thought about being a superhero, he would freak out about insane the whole situation was.  It wasn’t every day that someone was bitten by a spider and came out with incredible new abilities. In Peter’s world, surrounded by superheroes, it wasn’t as shocking, but it was still a lot to come to terms with. 

Peter didn’t want anyone to know his secret, not for the first month of being a vigilante; he needed to work out who he was now before other people jumped on the bandwagon.  
  
Queens had already started calling him ‘ _Spider-Man_ ’ which Peter whole-heartedly adored because it reminded him of his dad’s alter-ego, and was definitely better than the horrifying alternative ‘ _Sticky Boy_.’   
  
To conceal his secret, Peter invented a device he could use to hack Friday’s signals and stop her from informing his parents that he was sneaking around at night.  He called it a ‘D.T.D’ which stood for ‘Don’t Tell Dad.’   
  
However, after two months of swinging around in his makeshift red and blue suit, he planned to tell his parents and accept their guidance in what he should do next.   
  
He soon realised he couldn’t tell them.  
  
He had been so caught up with his new role as _Queens Web Slinger_ that he hadn’t noticed a rift growing between his parents, not until he went to tell them.   
  
He couldn’t do anything to help patch things together. Not this time. He understood why they were struggling; Pepper was away at work a lot, and Tony was dealing with the guilt of Ultron. It was no one’s fault.  
  
Peter put it to the back of his mind by throwing himself into his role as Spider-Man. If he couldn’t fix the rift between Tony and Pepper, but he could save innocent people instead.  
  
He hurried in after school, out of breath from running all the way home from the train station. Even for his superhuman lungs, he had overdone it. He was just ready to get back out.  
  
He rushed into the kitchen and took out a bottle of orange juice. He noticed Pepper sat down at the end of the breakfast bar, and he smiled warmly, “Hey Mum, I didn’t know you were gonna be home yet.”  
  
“Hey, sweetheart.”  
  
Peter dropped his smile when he studied her. She was slumped over, her head in her hand, sadness etched across her face. “You okay?”  
  
Pepper tapped the space next to her, “Come and sit down, honey.”  
  
Peter’s heart jumped up into his throat, and he moved over, sitting next to her. Pepper bowed her head down and let out a shaky breath. She placed her trembling her hands out in front of her, she tried to speak, but the words died in her throat.   
  
Peter reached forward and took his hand, anchoring her, “Mum?”  
  
Pepper held onto tightly, “Peter, um, I’m going to go and live in our apartment in the city, for a short while.” She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.  
  
“Oh.” Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, his duty as Spider-Man going to the back of his mind, “Are you and Dad--”  
  
“We’re not breaking up.” She sniffled, “We’re just taking a break.”  
  
Peter wanted to scream. He wanted to be angry and utterly selfish. He thought perhaps his anger would be enough for them to realise how wrong they were.   
  
Then, he remembered that he didn’t know everything about them. He didn’t see them every minute of every day.  
  
If he could Spider-Man a secret, then there was probably a lot he didn’t notice about them.   
  
He couldn’t explain it, but to him ‘ _breaking up_ ’ and ‘ _taking a break_ ’ meant the same thing. It felt like Pepper was just trying to comfort the blow.   
  
“Okay.” Peter managed to say, trying to keep his anger buried deep.  
  
Pepper blinked away tears, “Okay?”  
  
“If that’s what you need to do, then you have to do it, right?” Peter asked, not sure if he was helping Pepper accept her choice or helping him accept his own.  
  
“Yeah.” She nodded, “This..this is something we need. _Space_.”  
  
“Space.”   
  
“I don’t want you to feel that this…” Pepper’s throat cracked, “I don’t want you to feel like I’m abandoning you. Or that this is--”  
  
“Mum.” Peter tightened his grip on her hand, “I don’t...I don’t think that. I understand. I do. And it’s not like I’m not gonna see you...”  
  
“You'll see me all the time.” Pepper said quickly, “You can come over whenever you need to. Day or night. I am there, just a little further away than normal.”  
  
“I know.” Peter wrapped an arm around her back and leaned his forehead against her shoulder.  
  
Pepper’s breath hitched, and she threaded his fingers through his hair and locked her arms around his shaking shoulders, “I’m sorry, baby.”  
  
“Not your fault.” Peter cried, not moving away from her grasp.   
  
Peter hated how normal this was. He was so used to superhero problems that his parents taking a break in their relationship was such a culture shock. This was something that happened every day for kids over the whole world.  
  
Later that night, Pepper left.  
  
Peter paced around his house, waiting for Tony to finally make an appearance.  
  
It was almost midnight when Tony emerged out of his workshop. He looked broken, his eyes were sunken back, and his face was chalk-white.   
  
Peter had thought about shouting at him for hiding away from so long, but instead, he pulled Tony into a well-needed hug, holding him close, letting him break on his shoulder.  
  
“Don't worry, Dad.” Peter cried, “We’ll be okay.”  
  
Peter quickly realised that Tony and Pepper were not in a place to know about Spider-Man. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sticking to canon, so don't worry, Pepper will be back!
> 
> Now moving onto 'Civil War.'
> 
> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	85. Liar Liar (CW)

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

Peter stumbled towards his front door. He let out a shaky breath as he leaned into the wall for support. He brushed his hand over his face and winced. He hadn’t seen his face, but he could guess the injuries without seeing them. He couldn’t open his right eye, and his entire left cheek was numb. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d returned from patrol injured, but usually, he had time to recover.  
  
He hated to admit it, but the rift in Tony and Pepper’s relationship had made it a lot easier for him to be a vigilante. _Actually_ , every time the thought crossed his mind, he hated himself. It was a horrible thought that he couldn’t shake off his shoulders.  The pair were too caught up in missing one another, that they didn’t seem to notice Peter’s second life.  
  
He would trade being a superhero, any day, if it meant that his parents could fix things. All three of them were stronger together.  
  
The break had changed everything, and he couldn’t tell if it was going to be fixed. He prayed it would because Tony and Pepper were made for each other, like jigsaw pieces. Peter had to hope that they would find their way back to each other.  
  
“Shit.” He muttered under his breath as he tried to fathom a way to get out of this. This time was different because it the first time he didn’t have time to heal before seeing Tony. His dad had called him home, and it sounded urgent.   
  
He had been able to change out of his costume and shove it into his backpack, but now, he felt like he was going to keel over at any moment.   
  
“Come on, Peter.” He pulled his hood up, hoping he could sneak past Tony without any questions.   
  
He pushed himself off the wall and limped to the front door. “Friday.”  
  
“ _Retinal scan in process_.” Friday said, “ _Welcome home, Peter._ ”   
  
“Hey.” He said half-heartedly as he walked through, he turned away when he realised Tony was pacing the entrance way.

“There you are bud!” Tony called, Peter could hear him rushing around, “Sorry to cut your evening short. Did you have fun with Ned?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Peter lied, “It was great. Why did you need me to come home?”  
  
“Remember, when I mentioned the Sokovia Accords?”  
  
Peter’s heart dropped, remembering the events in Lagos, where Wanda had accidentally caused an explosion, “Um, yeah, of course.”  
  
“Well, it’s going through.” Tony said, “And I’m needed at the upstate. I know I’m not actively on duty anymore, but I--”  
  
“You want to be there for the team?”  
  
Tony stopped moving for a second, and froze, “Yeah. I know they're all gonna have a lot to say.”   
  
“Yeah, they will.”  
  
“I think you should come. You being there might help soften the blow.” He joked; Peter hummed, “Kid, I gotta be honest, I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall here.”  
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and took a side step, “I’m just gonna take a shower before we go.” He skipped over to the stairs, ignoring the pain in his leg, “I just, it’s been a long--”  
  
“Peter.” Tony snapped, “Stop!”  
  
Peter held onto the railing and hesitated on the first step. He bowed his head down, knowing exactly where this was going.  
  
“Can you turn around?” Tony asked; Peter shook his head, and let out a breathless chuckle, “Peter.”  
  
Tony had never really shouted at Peter, only if he genuinely misbehaved, or _lied_. Tony had a sign, for when he was going to lose his cool, he would use Peter’s name too many times; Tony usually relied on nicknames, _it was his thing._  
  
Peter gestured up the stairs, trying to play it all off as a joke, “I’m just gonna take a shower.”   
  
“Peter.” Tony placed a hand on his shoulder, and Peter jumped out of his skin.  
  
He hadn’t even heard Tony move across the room, his senses were all off, thanks to the ringing in his ears, and his pounding headache.  
  
“Hey, look at me.”  
  
Peter pulled back his hood and twirled around, he held out his hands, “I know what you’re gonna say!”   
  
All the colour drained from Tony’s face in an instant, his clenched his fists down by his side, “Who did this?” He asked, his tone sent an instant chill down Peter’s spine.  
  
“I was just--” Peter blurted, “It was just--I’m clumsy, you know? And I was just walking home--and--”  
  
“Stop!” Tony bellowed, “Do not try and tell me that this was just you falling over your own feet!”  
  
“Okay…” Peter let out a slow breath, “It was just--” His voice cracked, and wavered, “It was just a bunch of kids, okay?”   
  
Tony scanned his son, head to toe, he shook his head, “That’s a lie.”   
  
Peter said nothing. He stared off to the side, his heart thumping in his chest. He was taken back when Tony moved forward and pulled him into a crushing embrace.   
  
Tony quickly stepped back and locked his hand around Peter’s arm; he guided him through to the kitchen and pushed him down into a chair.   
  
Peter watched as he grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer and proceeded to wrap it in a tea towel. He pulled up a chair and sat opposite.  
  
“Here.” He placed the ice pack down on Peter’s eye; Peter flinched as soon as the cold touched his skin, “Yeah, I know, black eyes are the worst.” He mused, “So, wanna tell me why you’re lying?”  
  
Peter attempted to roll his eyes but realised that he couldn’t. So instead, he scoffed, “Is this where you tell me you’re gonna donate all my Star Wars merch?”   
  
“You betcha.” Tony told him, “I’m serious, bud. If someone is hurting you--”  
  
“Dad.” Peter cut him off, “This isn’t something I can’t handle.”  
  
Tony moved the ice pack over to Peter’s cheek and sighed, “You don’t have to handle anything on your own.”   
  
“You can’t do everything for me.”   
  
“This is about your safety, Peter.” Tony cautioned, “Look at you.”   
  
“It was just a stupid fight!”   
  
Tony sighed; he carefully brushed a hand through Peter’s hair, “Okay.”


	86. Listening In

Peter had started to see the Headquarters as a second home. He would spend weekends hanging out with Wanda, introducing her to a world of video games, which were usually ruined by Vision, who could win any game with his eyes shut.   
  
The team were still a family, of sorts, but since the events in Lagos, everything shifted.  
  
It didn’t feel like home anymore. It felt strange like he had never been there before.   
  
“Ross won’t let you in the conference while we discuss the accords,” Tony told him as they walked through the main entrance wall.  
  
Peter turned on his heel, and shrugged, “Don’t worry. I’ll be up in my bedroom, making no noise, and pretending I don’t exist.”  
  
Tony shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh, “Enough with the pop culture references.”   
  
“You’d get bored.” Peter mused he clapped his hands together, “Um, see you later.”  
  
“I’ll call you as soon as you can come up.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter skipped away towards the elevator; he jumped in, “Level nine, please.”  
  
Peter had no intention of staying in his room. He needed to be there for Tony because he knew the team was going to have a few things to say about the accords.   
  
He hurried out of the elevator and rushed down the staircase to level eight, where the conference room was. He was lucky that the Avengers were yet to arrive.  
  
He took out his D.T.D (Don’t Tell Dad) device, and quickly entered a code and activated it, before clicking the door open to the conference room, and sneaking in. He jumped over the railing, down into the kitchen, which was just a few steps below where the Avengers would be seated.   
  
He quickly scurried across the floor and hid behind the breakfast bar, when he heard the door clicked open, followed by the familiar ruckus of the team, all bombarding Tony with questions about what was going on.   
  
They all shut up when Secretary Ross perked up, “Good afternoon.” Peter had only met him a few times and didn’t know him particularly well.   
  
The team stayed silent, all pulling out their chairs, and sitting down, ready to be lectured.   
  
Peter felt strange, being one of the only ones in the room who knew what was about to happen. Tony had been bouncing back and forth with the accords for over a month.  
  
“Five years ago, I had a heart attack.” Ross began, “I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass. I found something forty years in the Army had never taught me: _Perspective._ The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some, who would prefer the word " _vigilantes_ ".  
  
Peter’s breath hitched, knowing that was exactly what he was, but he understood the idea behind accountability, and if he had to, he would sign, if it would make the people he saved feel safer.   
  
“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asked.  
  
“How about "dangerous"?” Ross cross-questioned, “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”  
  
Peter bit down on his lip to conceal a small gasp; Ross did have a point. Peter had been watching the Avengers from the sidelines for years, and apart from the _Stark Relief Foundation_ , everyone seemed to move on pretty quickly after a travesty.   
  
The sound of projector clicking on hit Peter’s ears,  “New York.” Ross said.  
  
Peter closed his eyes, and let out a steady breath when he heard the vile sounds of the Chitauri leviathan echoed throughout the room; it suddenly felt like he was ten again, stuck in the middle of all of it, _watching Tony fall._  
  
“Washington, DC.” Ross continued.  
  
Peter was surprised, after two years, there was still damage left behind from where Steve crashed the helicarriers, and the general public had never been given a reason why he did it.   
  
“Sokovia.” The sound of screaming echoed through the speakers, Peter’s heart yearned to comfort Wanda, “Lagos.”  
  
Peter let out a frustrated sigh, knowing he couldn’t get up and help his friend. “Okay. That's enough.” Steve ordered, answering Peter’s prayers for him.  
  
“For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision.” Ross scolded, “That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” He hesitated for a second, “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries..it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a _United Nations_ panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”  
  
“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place.” Steve proclaimed, “I feel we've done that.”  
  
“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?”  
  
Peter leaned his chin on his fist, trying his best not to let his worry for Bruce overwhelm him. He knew his uncle was still alive, but he just wished he knew where he was.   
  
“If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes… you can bet there'd be consequences.” Ross said, “Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”  
  
“So, there are contingencies,” Rhodey said.   
  
“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords.” Ross answered, “Talk it over.”  
  
“And if we come to a decision you don't like?” Natasha asked.  
  
“Then, you retire,” Ross told them, Peter chuckled a humourless;y as did Natasha.   
  
Ross left without another word, leaving the team behind with a million and one questions to think over.   
  
“What kinda bullshit was that?” Sam barked, interrupting the silence.  
  
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Rhodey asked,  “He just--”  
  
“Stop.” Tony cut in; Peter heard as Tony jumped up from his seat and hurried across the floor, “Don’t talk shop! We have an audience.”   
  
“Shit.” Peter cursed, he let out a deep sigh when Tony’s shadow loomed over him. He hesitantly looked up and offered his dad his signature, goofy grin, “Hey.”  
  
“ _Hey_.” Tony mirrored, “Well, you can definitely kiss all you Star Wars Merch goodbye.” He reached out his hand and helped pull up Peter onto his feet.   
  
“Peter, for--” Rhodey exclaimed, “What the hell?!”  
  
Peter was still facing away because he knew his bruised face was going to raise alarms. Tony gave him a sympathetic look and squeezed his shoulder.   
  
“Peter..” Natasha said, “Do you expect us to talk to your back all afternoon?”  
  
“Um.” Peter shook his head.  
  
Part of him thought about running out, but he knew he wouldn't get far.   
  
He decided to take a note out of Tony’s book and attempt to act relaxed about the whole thing. He spun on his foot and walked towards the stairs. He looked up at the group, hoping they wouldn’t overact.   
  
Rhodey held out his hands, shaking them and shouting out intangible words.   
  
Everyone else was silent, but Peter could tell by their faces that they all had hundreds of questions.   
  
Steve and Wanda straightened their posture, and stared him down, looking like they were ready to fight someone.   
  
Sam just looked at him, with his jaw dropped.   
  
Rhodey was confused and kept stuttering for an explanation; his fists were clenched down by his side.  
  
The only person Peter couldn’t read was Vision, but no one could expect Wanda.   
  
Natasha lunged out of her chair and hurried down the steps, fury and worry glistening in her eyes. Peter stood motionless, waiting for her reaction. She placed a gentle hand on his unbruised cheek and scanned his face.  
  
“I’m okay.” Peter managed, “Really…”  
  
“Bullshit!” Rhodey bellowed.  
  
“No, I am!” Peter said defensively.   
  
Natasha kept her hand cupped on his cheek, and looked to Tony, who was observing their reactions from the sidelines, “What happened?” She asked, knowing she would get nowhere by grilling Peter.  
  
“I’d love to know.” Tony shrugged, “He won’t tell me.”  
  
Natasha looked back to Peter, her face softened, and she dropped her work persona, snapping into her ‘ _overprotective-aunt-mode_ ,’ “Who did this?”  
  
Peter let out a shaky breath, and brought up his hand, wrapping it around her wrist, “It doesn’t matter.”   
  
“It matters if someone is hurting you, Peter,” Steve said gently.  
  
“It was just a bunch of kids!” Peter lied, “Really, guys, I’m fine.”  
  
Rhodey sighed, “You keep telling yourself that, Pete.”   
  
“Stop!” Peter erupted, “Don’t you have more important things to be worried about?!”  
  
Peter hadn’t meant to snap at them, but it seemed to do the trick, as they all let out a collective sigh.   
  
Tony pressed his hand against Peter’s back, “Okay, let’s all take a breather, and move this thing over to the lounge.”


	87. Divided We Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a minor warning that my take on Civil War might come across as anti-Steve because of how Peter sees him, but that's not my intention. (Weird fact, when this film came out, I was team cap until I rewatched it.) Personally, to me, this is how Peter would react because he's protective of Tony.

Everyone uncomfortably dotted around the room; no one spoke or maintained eye contact with one another.  
  
Natasha stepped away from Peter, knowing she wasn’t going to get an answer from him anytime soon.  
  
Tony locked his fingers around Peter’s wrist, and guided him away from the team, over to the couches.   
  
Peter pulled free of Tony’s grip and moved down onto the floor. He leaned his back on the couch and hugged his knees to his chest. Tony collapsed on the couch and scrawled across it.   
  
“One last time, kiddo.” Tony perked up, his voice quiet; Peter leaned his head back, looking him in the eye, “What happened?”  
  
Peter thought, just for a second, about admitting the truth. Telling Tony about his secret life as Queens local superhero, but he couldn’t.   
  
For eight years, Peter had watched Tony be Iron Man, and he could never admit how much he hated his dad being a superhero and risking his life, day after day.   
  
He could never admit that, because now, he understood precisely why Tony did it.   
  
Peter understood the pain of watching loved ones risk their lives to save others; his family were the Avengers; he felt it every day. He couldn’t bear the thought of putting that same weight on Tony’s shoulders.   
  
“I told you.” Peter sighed, “It was just some stupid kids.” Tony didn’t say anything, he just nodded.   
  
Everyone started to move over; Steve fell into the chair, in-between both of the couches, he began to read through the Sokovia Accords booklet.   
  
Natasha sat at the end of the couch, next to Tony.  
  
Wanda bent down beside Peter, “Here.” He looked up to see her clutching onto a glass of water, and a small plastic tub, which contained two painkillers.   
  
“Um.” Peter took them off her, “Thanks.” She moved away and sat down on the opposite couch. Peter swallowed the tablets; he knew it was pointless because his metabolism would burn right through them.   
  
Vision stopped next to him, and held out a small wet towel, “Press this against the bruising, Peter. Do this a few times a day, and the swelling will go down.”  
  
“Thanks, Vis.” Peter took the lukewarm towel and pressed it against his eye. Vision nodded, and moved over, sitting down beside Wanda.   
  
Peter knew that with his accelerated healing, the bruising would be gone within the next few hours, and had no idea how he planned to explain that to the team. So, he pressed down unnecessarily hard with the towel, until it brought tears to his eyes, knowing that it would slow down the healing process.  
  
Rhodey and Sam stepped in, already shouting at one another, both fighting to be the one in the right. Peter flinched, their raised voices sent a chill up his spine.   
  
He leaned his head back and let out a shaky sigh. He instantly felt grounded, when Tony’s threaded with fingers into his hair. He let himself relax, and he could finally make out what was being said.   
  
Rhodey pointed an accusing finger at Sam, “Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have.”  
  
“So let's say we agree to this thing.” Sam shrugged, “How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”  
  
“A 117 countries want to sign this.” Rhodey sighed, “117, Sam, and you're just like, ‘ _No, that's cool. We got it_.’”   
  
“How long are you going to play both sides?” Sam said, cutting him off.  
  
“I have an equation.” Vision said, they all turned to look at him.  
  
Sam gestured over, “Oh, this will clear it up.”   
  
“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially.” He explained, “And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”  
  
Steve narrowed his eyes, “Are you saying it's our fault?”   
  
“I'm saying there may be a causality.” Vision admitted, “Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”  
  
“Boom!” Rhodey exclaimed.   
  
Peter thought that would be it. Vision lacked social skills, but when it came to situations like this, he was always right. You’d be a fool not to listen to him.   
  
“Tony.” Natasha sung, turning everyone’s attention to them, “You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.”  
  
“It's because he's already made up his mind,” Steve said.  
  
“Boy.” Tony sighed, “You know me so well.” He sat up, allowing his hand to move away from Peter’s head. Tony winced as he jumped up, “Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache.”   
  
He walked over to the sink, rubbing the back of his head. Peter jumped up and sat down where Tony had been; he watched his dad intently.  
  
“That's what's going on, Cap. _It's just pain_.” Tony grabbed a mug, “It's discomfort.” He fiddled with something in the sink, “Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal?” He grabbed the coffee pot, and walked back over towards the group, “Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”  
  
Peter dotted his eyes around the group. If the stakes around the accords weren’t so high, he would have cracked a joke about them all ignoring his and Ned’s detailed chore plan.  
  
He looked back; Tony had parked himself in front of the breakfast bar. He buried his hand in his pocket, and placed his phone down, he tapped it, and a picture of a teenager popped up, for the team to see. By the looks of things, he was only a few years older than Peter.  
  
Tony looked at it, purposely acting surprised, “Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service.”  
  
Peter bowed his head into his chest, knowing exactly where this was going.  
  
“Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds _fun_.” Tony scoffed, “He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, _Sokovia_!”  
  
Peter blinked away tears, it stung his eye, but he attempted to ignore it.  
  
“He wanted to make a difference, I suppose.” Tony shrugged, “I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were _kicking_ ass.” He took a pill with his coffee and walked over to the group, “There's no decision-making process here.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys.”   
  
“Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up,” Steve said.  
  
Peter’s knitted his eyebrows together, “Who said we're giving up?” Tony asked.   
  
“We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions.” Steve continued, “This document just shifts the blame.”  
  
“Wait.” Peter cut in, just as Rhodey went to say something, “Oh, sorry.”  
  
“No, _no_. You first, Pete.” Rhodey said. Peter felt his heart flutter; he was happy whenever he got treated like an adult, as part of the team, instead of just a kid.   
  
“It’s just.” Peter leaned forward, “Uncle Steve, that’s actually what dad wants. You guys save the world, and that’s awesome, but you never really see what you leave behind. That’s what the accords are about, right? _Accountability_.”  
  
“Exactly.” Rhodey agreed, “Steve, you are being dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not Hydra.”  
  
“No,” Steve shook his head, “But it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”  
  
“That's good.” Tony snapped, he walked over, “That's why I'm here. When I realised what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing.”  
  
“Tony, you chose to do that.” Steve pointed out, “If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose! What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”  
  
“It’s the United Nations.” Peter told him, “I learned about them at school. They exist to ensure peace. And it looks like they’re trying. You guys have to stick together, and this..is kinda your only way.”  
  
Everyone stared at him for a second, at a loss for words. Tony clapped his hands together, “He’s right.” He turned his attention back to Steve, “If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty.”  
  
“You're saying they'll come for me,” Wanda said.  
  
“We would protect you,” Vision told her, reassuringly.  
  
“Maybe Tony's right.” Natasha admitted; Tony’s face dropped in surprise, “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off -”  
  
“Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam interrupted.   
  
“I'm just… I'm reading the terrain” She explained, “We have made… some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”  
  
“Focus up.” Tony held out his hand towards Natasha, “I'm sorry, did I just mishear you, or did you agree with me?”  
  
Natasha shook her head, “Oh, I want to take it back now.”  
  
“No, no, no.” Tony blurted, “You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented.” He clapped his hands together, “Okay, case closed - I win.”  
  
Steve’s phone buzzed, Peter watched as his face drained off all colour. Steve scrambled to his feet and tossed the accords aside, “I have to go.” He hurried out of the room without a second word.  
  
Tony’s phone started to ring, and everyone jolted, turning to him. He stepped aside, “I have to take this.” 


	88. Wise Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is one thing that angered me about the MCU, it was that there was no established relationship between Peggy and Tony. So hey, I fixed that.

Peter waited a short while before leaving the team in search for Tony. It didn’t take long, he turned one corner, and found his dad, he was leant into a wall, staring at the phone in his shaking hand. “Dad?”  
  
Tony’s relaxed his arms by his side, “Hey, bud.” He tucked his phone into his pocket; he crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
“What’s wrong?”  
  
“Um.” Tony swallowed a lump in his throat, “Do you remember my Aunt Peggy?”  
  
“Yeah..” Peter said, “A bit. I know who she is and I kinda remember spending time with her when I was little.”  
  
“You were very young when diagnosed--.” Tony cleared his throat, “She, um, she passed away last night.”  
  
Peter let out a slow breath, “I’m sorry, Dad. I know what she meant to you.”  
  
“And I’m sorry you didn’t get to know her.” Tony told him, “She was great, she adored you, but she didn’t want to hurt you when--, and I was--”  
  
“Dad.” Peter moved over, he squeezed Tony’s arm, “It’s okay.”  
  
“I should have done more.” Tony admitted, “For her. To me, she was like...well, she was basically what Romanoff is to you, and I did--”  
  
“Dad!” Peter shouted, “You’ve really gotta stop blaming yourself for everything.”  
  
Tony bowed his head, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  
  
“So, is that why Uncle Steve left too?” Peter asked, “They were, you know, _close_ in the 40s.”  
  
Tony nodded, “I think so, yeah.”  
  
“Is there a…” Peter sighed, “Is there a funeral?”  
  
“Next Sunday... in London.” Tony told him, “But I can’t go, you know, I don’t--”  
  
“Dad.” Peter said softly, “I think you should go. I’ll come, too; you don’t have to do this alone.”   
  
“You’re right, kid.” He admitted, “We should go.”

* * *

**ONE WEEK LATER**  
  
Tony was quiet while they waited outside the cathedral, surrounded by mourning strangers. Peter knew exactly why going to a funeral was outside of Tony’s comfort zone.   
  
He hadn’t even attended his parents. He had always struggled with goodbyes.   
  
Peter noticed Sam before Tony did, he absentmindedly stood forward, acting as a shield for his dad.   
  
Sam hurried over, almost foaming at the mouth, “What the hell are you doing here?” He hissed, keeping his volume down,  “Look, I get that the accords are a big deal, man, but coming to a funeral to corner Steve is a little low, even by--”  
  
“Sam.” Peter cut him off, “...Peggy was dad’s godmother.”   
  
The anger in Sam’s face crumbled away to utter embarrassment, and guilt, “Oh, right, sorry.” He darted away before anything else could be said.  
  
“You okay, Dad?” Peter asked.  
  
“I’m always okay.” He lied.  
  
The doors opened, and people started to pour in.   
  
Tony flinched, but relaxed when Peter took his hand, and slowly guided him through the entrance way.   
  
Peter sat on the back row, at the end of the aisle, keeping Tony away from the crowds.   
  
Tony stared down at his hands, looking like he wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else.   
  
Someone nudged Peter’s shoulder, and he turned to see Natasha. He shuffled over, creating a space for her to sit down next to him.   
  
Peter didn’t pay attention to the service; he found it hard being in a crowded room with his powers. All the sounds jumbled together, and he struggled to find a way to anchor his concentration.    
  
He saw his Uncle Steve, as one of the pallbearers, but after that, everything around him drowned out into a mess of indescribable noise.  
  
It wasn’t until Natasha took his hand, that he was able to grativate his powers and relax.   
  
“And now,” The Priest spoke, “I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words.”  
  
A blonde woman stepped up onto the platform, Peter recognised her, but he couldn’t place why.   
  
“Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD.” She started, “... But I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related.”  
  
Peter understood that it was one of the reasons that they had elected to drop the ‘Stark’ in his name while he attended Midtown. He was legally still Peter Parker-Stark, but at school, he was just Peter Parker. Even though it was public knowledge who he was,  the slight change had made his high school experience a little easier.   
  
“I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either.” Sharon continued, “And she said, compromise where you can. But where you can't, _don't._ Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move… it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in they eye and say ‘ _No, you move_.’”  
  
Tony and Natasha shifted in their seats, and Peter knew why.   
  
Sharon’s words were powerful, but they weren’t the only people who had heard them, Steve had too.   
  
The accords were a big deal, and Peter knew that if half the team elected not to sign, it wouldn’t come to a happy conclusion. If Steve listened to Peggy’s advice, and Tony did too, it wouldn’t just end half of the Avengers being forced into early retirement.   
  
It could never be that easy.

* * *

After the service had finished,  Peter stood with Tony and Natasha at the back, waiting for people to leave. Natasha stepped back in front of the duo, and crossed her arms over her chest, “I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords, so, um, maybe it’s best if I talk to Steve about this before I go. See if I can, persuade him.”  
  
Tony scratched his chin, “Yeah. That’s probably our best bet.”  
  
“Good luck.” Peter pulled her into a hug, Natasha kissed the side of his cheek.  
  
“Thank you.” She patted his arm and stepped back, “I’ll see you two soon.”   
  
“Yeah.” Tony held up his hand and gave her a half-hearted wave. He gently pushed Peter’s shoulder, and they both headed out of the cathedral, “We need to head back home, you have school tomorrow, and your mum is would kill me if I let you skip--”  
  
“Dad.” Peter interrupted, “I don’t have school until Thursday, remember? It’s closed for the art competition thingy.”  
  
“Oh, yeah.” Tony said, pretending that he remembered Peter telling him that, “Come on, let’s get to the jet.”

* * *

Peter kept himself preoccupied on the plane journey back to New York, by putting in his headphones and completing homework on his tablet that wasn’t due for another few weeks. He could tell that Tony wasn’t in a talkative mood and left him to his own devices.   
  
He dropped everything when Tony jumped out of his chair, yelling out to Friday.  
  
Peter pulled his headphones down, “What’s going on?”   
  
Tony said nothing. Instead, he just stared at the television. Peter looked up; it was a CNN news report; he jumped up at the stopped at Tony’s side.   
  
“ _A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna.”_ The broadcaster started.  
  
Peter’s heart dropped, “Dad!” He yelped, his voice shaking, “Auntie Nat was there.”   
  
Tony didn’t react. He just kept his eyes glued to the screen.  
  
Peter was paralysed to the spot in fear, and he looked back to the television.   
  
“ _More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier._ ”  
  
Peter’s heart dropped, and he bounced back onto his heels, “Dad!”  
  
“Hey, hey.” Tony turned on his spot, “Wait a second, bud.” He said gently, though his voice trembled, he tapped his phone and held it to his ear. Peter watched as his heart thumped in his chest. Tony's fear melted away, and he let out a sigh, “Oh, hey!”   
  
Tony held out the phone, and Peter grabbed it, “Auntie Nat!”  
  
“ _Peter_!” She exclaimed, “ _I’m sorry. I_ _should have texted your dad after I got out.”_ Peter pressed his hand on his chest and choked out a breath as the panic shifted off his shoulders, “ _Peter?_ ”  
  
“Are you okay?!”  
  
“Yeah.” She said calmly, “I got lucky.”   
  
Peter blinked tears away and leaned his forehead against his closed first, “I thought…” He sniffled,  “I thought something happened to you.”   
  
“ _I’m okay…_ ” She sighed, “ _I promise..”_  
__  
“Good.” Peter brushed tears out of his eyes with the back of his jacket sleeve.  
  
“ _I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go_.”  
  
Peter nodded, “Um, okay.” He cleared his throat, “I love you.”  
  
Natasha let out a long shaky breath,  “I love you too.”   
  
“Bye.” He hung up and hugged the phone close to his chest. He locked eyes with Tony, “She’s okay.”  
  
“Yeah?” Tony moved forward and squeezed Peter’s arm, “Are you?”  
  
“I just…” His posture slumped and leaned his forehead against Tony’s shoulder, “I was scared.”  
  
Tony kissed Peter’s unruly hair, and twiddled his fingers around it, “I know what Romanoff means to you, to us. But she’s...good.”  
  
Peter leaned back and swallowed the dread lodged in his throat; he gave Tony an unsure smile, “She’s okay.”   
  
Tony nodded, “Yeah.” His dropped his smile, and moved away, collapsing back down into his chair.   
  
Peter cautiously moved over, and stood behind the chair opposite Tony; he dotted his eyes to the television, “This…” He pressed a hand on the seat, “This makes things harder, doesn’t it?”  
  
“Oh, bud.” Tony sighed, shaking his head, “You have no idea.” Peter sat down, “You know what Barnes means to Cap…”  
  
Peter nodded, having heard stories of Bucky plenty of times, “He’s like…what Rhodey is to you...and Ned...to me.”   
  
Tony stared at Peter, motionless for a second; he clapped his hands together, “Exactly.” 


	89. Stick Together

Shortly after the events in Vienna, Ross called and told Tony to drop everything and get to Berlin. Tony quickly changed the route on the plane and told Peter to get some rest before they arrived. Flying from London, almost to New York, and then to Germany was not an enjoyable experience.   
  
(It was Stark plane, so luckily it lasted longer in the air, and was considerably faster than a regular flight.)  
  
“Come on, bud.” Tony pushed on Peter’s back; they were in the entrance way of the _Joint Counter-Terrorist_ _Centre_ ; they had gone through rigorous security checks, and had just been given their security passes.   
  
Peter yawned and stretched his arms out in front of him, “Sorry.”  
  
Tony placed a hand on his back, “You tired?”  
  
Peter tilted his head into his shoulder, “No, I'm not.”   
  
“Don’t worry, kiddo. I am too.” Tony brought his fingers to the brim of his nose, “It’s been a long day.”  
  
“Mr. Stark.” A man greeted, they looked up at him, “I’m Everett Ross.”   
  
“Oh, okay.” Tony said, “Um, what’s the latest?”  
  
“We have nothing on Rogers and Wilson.” Everett said, “Have you heard anything?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“If they make contact, you must inform me.” He told him, he dotted his eyes over to Peter, “We will find someone to watch your son.”  
  
Peter narrowed his eyes; he hated being treated like a kid all the time, especially when someone looked through him like he wasn’t really there.  
  
Tony held his hand and shook it, “That’s not happening. Peter stays by my side at all times.”   
  
“Mr. Stark, I cannot…”  
  
“You want my help, you’ve got it.” Tony told him, “But my kid stays with me.”  
  
“Or with me.” Natasha stepped out from behind Everett, Peter rushed over and met her in a hug.  
  
“Do we have a deal?” Tony asked.   
  
Everett glared at him before letting out a sigh in defeat, “I guess for now, but this is completely unorthodox, and I will be raising it with my superiors.”  
  
“You do that.” Tony sang, “But I will feel like you have more pressing issues at hand.”

* * *

There was no breakthrough in finding Barnes or tracking down Steve or Sam. They were in the dark, and there was nothing they could do, they couldn’t save their friends when their friends were the ones putting themselves on the firing line.   
  
They left the agents to carry on the search through the night, while they attempted to catch up on some well-deserved sleep.  
  
The next morning, they were woken by the news that Steve, Bucky and Sam had been found, and were being brought in. They then found out that Steve and Sam had committed multiple falcons and were being considered criminals.   
  
Peter stuck with Tony all morning, inside a glass-walled office, which was in the centre of the control room.  
  
Peter sat on an office chair with _Imagine Dragons_ blasting through his headphones. He kept a watchful eye on Tony, as he paced the room trying to calm Secretary Ross down over the phone.   
  
He pulled his headphones down around his neck when he heard Steve’s familiar voice; he placed his feet on the floor and peered to the door.  
  
He could see Steve, walking beside Sam and Natasha, they had a group of agents surrounding them. The Price of Wakanda, T’Challa, was also with them. Peter knew he was involved with the confrontation in Bucharest, but he wasn’t entirely sure how.   
  
Peter locked his eyes onto Tony, and he listened, “No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned.” Tony jumped onto his feet and gestured for Peter to move with him, “And, Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup.”  
  
Peter leapt up, and stopped beside his dad; Steve and Sam stopped by the entrance and locked their attention on Tony.   
  
“Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences.” Tony said, as he exited the office, Peter followed quickly behind, “Obviously you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.”  
  
Steve eyeballed the phone in Tony’s hand and then looked him in the eye, “'Consequences?”  
  
Tony pointed his hand between the pair, “Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. Had to give him something.” He gently pushed on Peter’s shoulder to get him to turn around.  
  
“I'm not getting that shield back, am I?” Steve asked, with a small all-knowing smirk on his face.  
  
Tony kept moving away. His hand rested on Peter’s shoulder. Natasha, who was walking beside Peter, turned to face them, “Technically, it's the government's property.” She sneered, “Wings, too.”  
  
“That's cold.” Sam sighed.  
  
Tony turned to look at the pair “Warmer than jail.”

* * *

Peter stayed glued to Natasha’s side overlooking the monitors in the control room as Tony talked, well argued, with Steve in the office about the accords. Natasha kept having to stop Peter from spying on the pair.  
  
Peter knew that she didn’t want him to see them fight because she understood that he was often overprotective of his dad.   
  
After what seemed like hours, Tony finally joined them, muttering intangible expletives under his breath, with his signature sunglasses perched on his nose.   
  
Peter glanced behind him to see Steve stood in the office, with Sam and Sharon.   
  
“How are you doing, bud?” Tony asked, snapping Peter’s attention away.  
  
“I’m good.” Peter said unsurely, “I kinda want this to be over and done with.”  
  
Tony nodded and sighed, “Yeah, me too.”   
  
“ _Hello, Mr. Barnes. I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you.”_ A voice echoed through the sound system, pulling their attention away from one another.  
  
Peter dotted his eyes up to the screen; Bucky was being incarnated in a small glass jail, Peter couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He knew that it wasn’t Bucky’s fault that Hydra had brainwashed him, but he also understood why this was happening. Especially after Vienna.   
  
“ _Do you mind if I sit?”_ The interrogator placed his briefcase down on the table and sat down, _“Your first name is James?”_ He received no answer, “ _I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions.”_

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Peter’s stomach, and the hairs on his arms stood up. Every sound in the room faded into one continuous and deafening buzz that he couldn’t shake. He scrunched his eyes shut, and dug his fingers into the palms of his hands, attempting to anchor his powers.  
  
His ‘ _spidey_ ’ sense was the element of his powers that he didn’t understand how to use. He knew that it helped him focus on danger, but it didn’t help him identify the problem.  
  
He felt a hand squeeze down on his shoulder, and he let out a slow, shaky breath, before opening his eyes and looking up at Tony. Worry was etched across his face, “Are you okay?”  
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, “Um, I don’t know.” He answered, unsure of how he could explain the overwhelming feeling of dread on his shoulders.  
  
Before Tony or Natasha could say anything in response, darkness fell over the room, and emergency lights flickered on.  



	90. No Going Back

Chaos followed the power cut, as they had lost the link to Barnes. Peter jolted back into Natasha, realising his powers had predicted this, and he still couldn’t explain why.   
  
She placed a finger on the base of his chin, and gently turned his head around, so that he was looking her in the eye, “Stay where we can see you, okay?”  
  
Peter nodded, “Okay.” She moved her hand away and placed it on his shoulder.  
  
Tony tapped the handle of his sunglasses, and holograms popped up on the lenses,  “Friday, get me the source of that outage.”   
  
Peter darted his eyes around the room, his powers on high alert. “Peter.” Natasha said, “What’s wrong?”  
  
He stopped moving and shook his head, “Nothing.” He lied, “Just…” He gestured to the office in the centre of the room, Sam and Steve were no longer in sight, “They’re gone.”  
  
Natasha rolled her eyes, “Of course they are.” She looked at Tony, “Anything?”  
  
“The source of the outage is coming from where Barnes is….”  
  
“Or was.” Natasha theorised, “Can’t be a coincidence; he must have got out.”  
  
Tony exhaled and shook his head, “So what, we have a super soldier on the loose?”  
  
“Seems like it.” Natasha said, “We need to go.”  
  
Tony leaned over, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “We need to get you to a safe place.”  
  
“No.” Peter yelled, “I’m not leaving you!”  
  
“This is not up for discussion.”   
  
“Dad! Bucky’s a super soldier; you think a panic room could hold him?” Peter counter-argued, “I’m _safer_ with you.” _And you’re safer with me._  
  
“Look….” Tony pointed over to Natasha, “Like Romanoff said, you stay where we can see you, no wandering off, no taking any stupid chances. My heart can’t take it, kid.”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
“Come on.” Natasha hurried towards the exit; they followed behind, she turned to look at Tony, “Please tell me you brought a suit.”  
  
“Sure did.” Tony sang with a ring of sarcasm, “It's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button.” He said gesturing to what he was already wearing, “I'm an active-duty non-combatant.”  
  
Sharon charged over standing in front of them all, “Come with me!” She ordered; they followed her down a corridor up towards a set of stairs, “Barnes has been spotted on the upper levels.”  
  
Tony reached out and took Peter’s hand. Peter didn’t have time to remind his dad he was fourteen, and he knew Tony had done it out of habit, he was only trying to keep him safe.  
  
“We just need to try and corner him!” Sharon called back.  
  
“I have something that might work.” Tony told them, as they charged through a door, “It’s still a prototype.”  
  
“Well...there’s no time to test it.” Natasha told him, “Just use it!”  
  
“Yes, ma’am.” Tony said he tapped his sunglasses again, “Friday, have you located Barnes?” He listened to her response, “Cafeteria.”   
  
Sharon skidded to a stop, they all mirrored her, “We can cut him off.” She pointed down one corridor, “Romanoff, with me.” She gestured down to another door, “Stark, that way.”  
  
“That sounds like a plan.” Tony said both women darted away; Tony turned to Peter, “Kiddo, you stay right back!”  
  
“Alright.”   
  
They crashed through the doors; Tony grabbed the hood of Peter’s jacket and yanked him back towards the wall. “Cover your ears.”  
  
“Cover my ears?”  
  
“Just do it.” Tony glided away to another pillar, “Peter, now.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter cupped his hands over his ears as he looked over at the ongoing fight.   
  
Tony tapped a device on his wrist, and an Iron Man glove surrounded his palm. He shot one last look at Peter before charging over towards Barnes.  
  
Barnes was pointing a gun at an unconscious agent; Tony sent out a shockwave from his glove, startling the supersoldier. Tony used his distraction against him, and sent out a blast of light from his glove; Barnes doubled over.   
  
Tony took his chance, placed his hands on Barnes’ shoulders, pushing him back. The supersoldier didn’t even flinch.   
  
Peter skidded over on his knees and took his hands off his ears, “Come on, Dad.”  
  
Barnes held up his gun, directly at Tony’s head. Tony was quick, he held his gloved hand over the trigger, and when Barnes pulled the trigger, Tony caught the bullet.  
  
Tony smirked, he scrambled to dismount the gun, he used the base of it to hit Barnes in the jaw. Barnes retaliated by elbowing Tony in the face; he then proceeded to kick Tony in the stomach, sending him flying back into a table.  
  
“Dad!” Peter screamed.   
  
Sharon charged onto scene, taking over from Tony.  
  
While Barnes was distracted, Peter scurried away and knelt beside Tony, “Are you okay!?” He asked, placing a hand on his arm.   
  
Tony locked his fingers around Peter’s wrist and pulled himself up into a sitting position, “I thought I told you to hide.”  
  
“I never listen,” Peter said, pushing a firm hand on Tony’s shoulder, his dad doubled over and winched.  
  
Tony reclined his head to look him in the eye, “You’re so grounded.”   
  
A crashing sound from their side snapped them back to reality; they turned to see Sharon on the ground, unconscious.  
  
“Shit.” Tony tried to scramble forward to push Peter away, but the agony in his stomach doubled.  
  
“It’s okay, Dad.”  
  
Peter watched, helplessly, as Natasha charged in. She jumped off the floor, and straddled Bucky, by wrapping her legs around his neck. She punched him in the head, attempting to get him down. Unfortunately, the supersoldier wasn’t phased by the attack.   
  
He grabbed her arm in an unforgiving grip, and pulled her over his shoulder, he wrapped his metal hand around her neck and pinned her down on top of a table.  
  
“Auntie Nat!” Peter yelled. He let out a defeated sigh before allowing his hand to slip away from Tony’s shoulder.  
  
“Peter…” Tony muttered before he could stop him, Peter darted away, heading straight for Barnes, “Peter!”  
  
Peter leapt up and flipped mid-air; his right foot connected with the soldier’s jaw, Barnes lost balance and collapsed down to his side. Peter landed in perfect formation, down on one knee. He pivoted on the spot just as Barnes swung a punch, with his quick reflexes, Peter caught the metal fist, like it was nothing.   
  
“Sorry, man,” Peter said, he twisted his arm away; he kneed Barnes in the chin, knocking him off course.  
  
Peter froze, paralysed when he made the mistake of looking at his dad directly in the eye. Tony was up on his feet, leaning his weight against a table. His expression was unreadable. Peter couldn’t tell what he was feeling, and he needed to know desperately.   
  
Panic washed over Peter, overwhelming him. Everything else around him faded out into nothing.  
  
He didn’t notice Barnes swung another punch, not until he was flying across the room, with a numbing pain spreading across his chest.   
  
His secret was out. Tony and Natasha had seen him fight; there was no going back.   
  
He pressed down on his web shooter, the webbing connected to the ceiling, he hoisted himself, and shored across the room, landing down beside Tony.  
  
_There was no going back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this was one of the most difficult parts to write... but I lowkey love how it turned out.


	91. Like Father Like Son

A painful silence stretched in the space between Peter and Tony. They stared at one another. Neither of them moved, or even dared to breathe.   
  
They didn’t notice Prince T’Challa jump onto the scene, continuing the fight to take down Barnes.  
  
Peter shifted his attention away from Tony when he heard Natasha cry out in pain. She was sitting on the table, with his head bowed into her chest, as she tried to force air back into her lungs.   
  
He rushed her chanting her name in a gentle though panicked tone.   
  
He cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder; she leaned forward to clutch his arm as she retched harshly.   
  
“You’re okay.” He said, placing his hand on top of hers.   
  
She leaned her head back to look at him, “What the _hell_ was that?”   
  
Peter tightened his grip on her hand; he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She swung her trembling arm around his back; he lifted her onto her feet, “I’ll explain later.” 

* * *

Even after almost single-handling taking down a supersoldier, Peter had to act like he had nothing to do with it. He sat in the corner of the office, with his headphones on, pretending he couldn’t hear every word that was being spoken.   
  
Secretary Ross was talking to Tony and Natasha about Barnes’ escape, and how Steve assisted him. There was no escaping reality anymore both Steve and Sam were considered war criminals now.   
  
“I don't suppose you have any idea where they are?” Ross asked.  
  
“We will. GSG-9's got the borders covered. Recon's flying 24/7.” Tony gestured his hands out, “They'll get a hit. We'll handle it.”  
  
“You don't get it, Stark. It's not yours to handle.” He gestured over to Peter, who was pretending to be preoccupied with his phone, “It's clear you can't be objective. I'm putting Special Ops on this.”  
  
Natasha leaned forward from where she was sitting, “What happens when the shooting starts? What, do you _kill_ Steve Rogers?”  
  
Peter flinched as dread settled in his stomach; they were no longer referring to Steve as Captain America, the Avenger who helped save the world. He was just a man, with a target on his back.   
  
Peter had allowed himself to believe his childish idealism that nothing could ever happen to the team. _They were the Avengers; they always stuck together._  
  
And yet, right in front of his eyes, they were falling apart.   
  
“If we're provoked.” Ross said dryly, “Barnes would've been eliminated in Romania if it wasn't for Rogers.” Tony fell into his chair; Ross loomed over him, “There are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math.”  
  
“All due respect, you're not going to solve this with boys in bullets, Ross.” Tony told him, “You gotta let us bring them in.”  
  
“How would that end any differently from the last time?”  
  
“Because this time, I won't be wearing loafers and a silk shirt.” He looked over to Peter, “72 hours, guaranteed.”  
  
“36 hours.” Ross compromised, “Barnes. Rogers,” He walked toward the exit, “Wilson!”  
  
“Thank you, sir,” Tony said as Ross walked out, closing the door behind him.  
  
Peter slipped his headphones off, “They won’t...actually kill them, will they?”  
  
“No.” Natasha said, “We won’t let them. How exactly did you hear that? I can hear your music from over here.”  
  
Peter placed his headphones down onto the table, “Well, I kinda hear everything.”   
  
“Alright…” Natasha trailed off, “You said you’d explain later, it’s later, explain.”  
  
“Why don’t we start with your ribs?” Tony jumped up from where he was sitting.  
  
Natasha’s raised her eyebrows, “Ribs?”  
  
“After the fight, Friday sent me Peter’s vitals.” He took out his phone, he recoiled his head back and hissed, “Three cracked ribs, that’s gotta hurt right?”  
  
Peter buried his face into his hands. He knew his dad well enough to know that he used humour the same way he used the Iron Man armour, to shield himself away from pain. Underneath it all, Tony was angry.   
  
“So Peter’s got three broken ribs?” Natasha asked, concerned.  
  
“Not anymore,” Peter muttered.  
  
Natasha’s forehead creased, “I don’t understand.”   
  
“They’ve healed.” Tony blurted.  
  
“In forty-five minutes?”   
  
“Yeah.” Peter shrugged, “Broken bones don’t take that long. Bruises and cuts take longer, probably because I don’t leave them alone, I just prod and--”  
  
“Peter.” Natasha cut in, “Slow down; I’m lost.”   
  
“Here.” Tony took held out his phone with a shaking hand; he clicked it, and a YouTube clip projected into the air. Peter recognised the video; it was of him, dressed in his red and blue costume. He jumped down and caught a moving car before it crashed into a stationary bus, “Nice catch. 3,000 pounds, 40 miles an hour.”  
  
“Dad…”  
  
“No!” Tony barked, “You don’t get to ‘ _dad_ ’ me on this one.”  
  
“How long have you known?!”   
  
Tony narrowed his eyes as he thought, “Three weeks, _give or take_ , but I know, _I knew_ , something was up with you before that.”  
  
“Why--”  
  
“No, I’m talking!” Tony dictated, “Did you really think I couldn't figure out what you did to Friday? It might have taken me a while to work it out, and that’s my fault! Really kid, was this secret so important that you hacked Friday’s algorithm so that you could go behind my back?!”  
  
“Of course, it was!”  
  
“You’re just a kid!”   
  
Peter jumped out of his chair, “That didn’t stop you from dragging me into all of this!”   
  
Peter regretted his anger as soon as the words escaped his lips. Tony’s face paled, and he turned away.  
  
“Dad..” Peter managed to choke out.  
  
Tony tried to speak, but all that came out was a slight wheeze; he brought his shaking hand to his chest.  
  
Peter darted over, he placed a cautious hand on Tony’s back, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I--”  
  
Tony looked at him, obvious guilt reflected in his eyes. He dragged Peter down into a hug, to his son’s surprise. Peter’s throat cracked as he tried to apologise again.   
  
Peter noticed Natasha’s expression, she was questionably confused, but she couldn’t hide that fact that she too, was crying.  
  
“Pete.” Tony whispered, “I think we made _Black Widow_ cry.”  
  
Natasha rolled her eyes, “Shut it.”   
  
Peter and Tony chuckled incoherently; they stepped away from the hug. Tony kept a hand wrapped around Peter’s shoulders, he gestured over to Natasha, “Sorry, I just thought you were incapable of feeling human emotion.”   
  
“Dad!”   
  
“Sorry.”  
  
Natasha shook her head before looking up to Peter, “Can you finish explaining?”  
  
“Oh, shit. _Yeah_.” Peter squeaked, “I’ve had these powers for about...six months now.”  
  
Both Natasha and Tony looked at one another, their foreheads creasing.  
  
“So, what? Are you inhuman?” Natasha asked.   
  
“No, _well_ , I don’t think I am.” Peter stuttered, “I was, um, bitten by a spider.”  
  
“You were bitten….” Tony trailed off, “...By a spider?”  
  
“You remember when I got really sick after that trip to Oscorp?”  
  
Tony flinched at the memory, “My God, kid! I’m never gonna forget that.”  
  
“It wasn’t...the flu.” Peter admitted, “The bite..kinda like, changed me.”  
  
Tony waved his hands around, “Trackback a second, bud, you lost me.”  
  
“A Spider bit me,” Peter said, “And it like..rewrote my DNA, I know that doesn’t make much sense, but like--”  
  
“What can you do?” Natasha asked.  
  
“My senses have been dialled to eleven, _I guess_. I can catch a bus with my bare hands, and um, I heal fast obviously…”  
  
“You know what’s really cool?” Tony reached for Peter’s wrist, unhooking his web shooter, “This webbing. That tensile strength is off the charts.”  
  
Natasha held out her hand, and Tony pressed it into her palm, “Who manufactured this?”   
  
“I did.” Peter said, “Took a while to get it right.”  
  
“I’ve seen footage of you climbing walls.” Tony said, “Now, how are you doing that?”  
  
“Cohesive gloves?” Natasha suggested.  
  
“No.” Peter said, his cheeks flooding with colour, “It’s all me.”  
  
Tony’s eyebrows raised, “It’s all you?”  
  
“Yeah, watch.” Peter moved over to the table and placed his palm flat against a clipboard. He lifted his hand, the clipboard remained balanced on his flat palm, even as he flapped his hand around for effect.  
  
Natasha snorted, “You’ve got like….. _sticky hands_?”  
  
“I guess.” Peter ripped the clipboard off,  “That’s a way to put it.”  
  
Tony glanced his eyes over at his son as he let out a deep exhale, “So...you’re the spider-ling?” He trailed off, “...Why did you never tell me, kid?”  
  
Peter crossed his arms, “I didn’t want you to worry.”  
  
“Worry?” Tony asked, placing a hand on his chest, “ _Me_? Never.” All three of them chuckled, “So you’re a crime-fighting spider? You’re Spider-boy?”  
  
“I’m…Spider-Man.” 


	92. We're In This Together

Tony didn’t even try to keep a straight face, as soon as Peter muttered his _superhero_ name, he doubled over and cackled to himself, he winced throughout his laughter due to the numbing pain in his chest, but Peter could tell that didn’t care.   
  
Peter crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head; Natasha was hiding a small smile behind her closed fist, “Dad.” Peter whined, trying his best not to chuckle, “Stop laughing!”  
  
Tony outstretched his hand and shook it, “I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat and hummed, “Spider-Man.” That was enough, he broke down in another fit of laughter, “ _Man._ Oh, that’s really--”  
  
Peter nudged Tony’s shoulder, “Stop.”  
  
Tony bit down on his lip, “Sorry, bud. Just…”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes and kept poked Tony’s arm, “Maybe, we should forget about this, and...you know..”.  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes, “Know what?”  
  
“You’ve got...36 hours.”   
  
“Oh, yeah.” Tony groaned, “36 hours, jeez.”  
  
Natahsa leaned forward, “We're seriously understaffed.”  
  
Tony hummed, and locked eyes with her, “It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now.” He smirked, “Any shot?”  
  
Natasha smiled, falsely, “No.” She shook her head, “You really think he'd be on our side?”  
  
Tony dropped his smile, “No”.  
  
“I have an idea.” She told him, she looked up to Peter,  “Actually, I have two.”  
  
Tony nodded, following her gaze over to Peter, “Yeah.” He snapped his head back to Natasha, and lunged out of his chair, “Wait, no! _No_.”  
  
“Tony, we don’t have many options here…”  
  
“I know!” He exclaimed, “And yeah, I thought about it, and then I realised how _dumb_ it is! Even by my standards.”  
  
Peter knitted his eyebrows together, “What are you talking about?”  
  
“Spider-Man.” Natasha winked, Tony placed his face into his open palms and sighed.   
  
“Like me…” Peter pointed to his chest, “Helping to bring them in?”  
  
Natasha nodded, “Yeah.”  
  
Peter couldn’t tell if the idea of helping the team was terrifying or exciting, but he knew exactly what his answer was going to be, either way, “I could do that.”  
  
Tony turned to him, “Peter. Look... Your mum would--”  
  
“Mum doesn’t have to know.” Peter interrupted, Tony, tilted his head in his shoulder and stared him down, “Not yet.” He fumbled with his hands, nervously, “Dad, I’ve been fighting criminals for _six months_ , and you didn't...know. I think I can handle Uncle Steve.”  
  
Tony let out a defeated groan; he held up his hand, “Hold onto that thought.” He twirled around to face Natasha, “You said you had two ideas?”  
  
“Prince T’Challa.” Natasha jumped out of her chair, realising that Tony obviously wanted time alone with Peter, “I’ll go and talk to him.” She gave Peter a quick smile before rushing out of the office.  
  
Tony waited until the doors clicked shut behind her, before turning around to Peter, “Kid, I know I’m gonna cave and let you come with us. Actually, I wanna gonna suggest it, but--”  
  
“I can do this.”   
  
“And I don’t doubt it, bud.” Tony told him, “But, I hated you being part of this superhero bullcrap, and that’s why I retired, but now--”  
  
“You retiring....” Peter laughed humorlessly, “That was never gonna work.”  
  
“No.” Tony clapped his hands together, “ _Impossible_.” He sat back down, and kicked out another chair, he gestured for Peter to sit down, “I know why I do this, so I gotta know about you. What’s your MO?”  
  
Peter sat down, and crossed his arms around his chest, “It’s like...well,” He cleared his throat, “Well, I’ve been me my whole life, and I’ve had these powers for six months. I watched you become _Iron Man_ and an _Avenger, which_ is awesome! But also...terrifying.”  
  
Tony bounced his eyebrows up and nodded, knowingly.  
  
“I couldn’t just change overnight, you know?” Peter chuckled, “I mean,  I read books, build things, and I would love to play football. But I couldn't then so I shouldn't now.”  
  
“Sure, because you’re different.”  
  
“ _Exactly._ But I can't tell anybody that, so I'm not.” He let out a long breath, “When you can do the things that I can, but you don't…And then the bad things happen... they happen because of you.”  
  
Tony darted his eyes to the floor, and leaned back, “I get that, _yeah_. So you wanna do what the team...often fails to do, and look out for the little guy.”  
  
Peter nodded and smiled. He wasn't sure if his jumble of words was going to get his message across to his dad, and he was glad that Tony had been able to read through the lines. “Yeah. Yeah just looking out… for the little guy. That's-That's what it is.”  
  
Tony gestured back, “This whole thing...what’s going on, it’s my fight, Romanoff’s fight, is it--”  
  
“It’s mine too!” Peter cut him off, “The accords affect the little guy, the _everyday person_. The accords exist to protect them from people like…. _us_. Because they deserve to feel protected by those willing to...protect them.”  
  
“So... “ Tony trailed off, “You’re gonna help?”  
  
“Yeah. I have too.” Peter shrugged, “I’d find a way, even if you stopped me.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “I know.”   
  
“And it’s not dangerous.” Peter pointed out, “It’s Uncle Steve. He’s _family_ , you know? I can web them all up, and we can talk it out.”  
  
“Talk it out.” Tony nodded, “Okay, first things first, your suit. It’s good for a first attempt, but I think you might be in dire need of an upgrade. Systemic, top to bottom. 100-point restoration.”  
  
Peter raised his eyebrows, “We only have like 36 hours.”  
  
Tony dropped his jaw, “Who do you think I am, kid?” He placed his sunglasses on, “Friday, do me a favour, dear and unlock 16A. Send it here.”  
  
Peter jumped up from his seat, “Wait, 16A?! You--you built me a suit!”  
  
“Of course.” Tony mused, “I wasn’t going to let you keep fighting in that onesie.”  
  
“It’s not a onesie!”  
  
“Little defensive.”  
  
“Shut up.” Peter stopped smiling and stepped forward, “Look, Dad. I want to help, but I’m not ready for the team to _know_. Not even Uncle Rhodey.”  
  
“Kid, your voice is…recognizable.”  
  
“I know, but this is important to me. You put Iron Man and Tony Stark together, and that’s awesome! I get that.” He placed a hand over his chest, “ But, I have to keep Spider-Man separate from...me.”  
  
“Okay.” Tony nodded, “The new suit, I should be able to mess with it a little, lower the pitch of your voice, but the rest is up to you...don’t let them recognise you. Like don’t call me ‘ _dad_.’”  
  
“Oh, yeah.”   
  
“You could call me ‘ _Tony_.’”  
  
Peter cringed and shook his head, “ _Eh_. That’s weird.”  
  
“Okay then, what about Mr. Stark?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded, “Yeah, that might be easier."


	93. Underoos

Peter thought he’d have plenty of time to prepare before confronting Steve and the small team he had assembled. He didn’t. He was sure it was the quickest twenty-four hours of his life. One minute, he was trying on his new suit, and the next he was crouched behind a luggage cart,  at _Leipzig-Halle_ international airport, awaiting a signal from Tony.  
  
He had decided to bring his phone along, and video the experience, well, to the best of his ability. He thought it would be hilarious because one day, down the line after the team had calmed down, he could potentially use the footage as leverage against them.   
  
“Right.” He peered over the car and held up his phone. He was still adjusting to how his voice sounded since Tony messed with the suit. It was lower; it almost felt like he wasn’t the one talking.  
  
The team were in the middle of a verbal confrontation; Peter dotted his eyes between them all.  
  
“Okay, there’s Uncle Steve, Dad, Uncle Rhodey, Auntie Nat. And that, I think the new guy is the Prince of--”  
  
“Underoos!” Tony shouted.  
  
Peter scrambled and pulled his phone back; he rolled his eyes under his mask at Tony’s choice of rally call, “Oh, that’s me.” He tossed his phone down, “I gotta go. I gotta go.”  
  
He pressed his hands on the cart, and shore through the air in a barrel roll; he shot out a string of web, and effortlessly grabbed Steve’s shield, while simultaneously webbing his hands together. He flipped, and landed down on one knee a baggage tug.  
  
“Nice job, kid!” Tony exclaimed.  
  
Anxiety pressed against Peter’s chest, and he leaned back, “Thanks.” He blurted, “Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit… “ He flapped his hand around, not wanting to sound rude after his dad had gone through the trouble of making a suit when he hadn’t needed too, “Well, it's nothing-- _Mr. Stark_.” That sounded wrong to say, “It's-It's perfect. Thank you.”  
  
Tony shook his head and put on a slight smile, “Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter let out a nervous breath; he darted his eyes over to Steve, who was staring at him in fascination, “Cap… Captain.” He stuttered, unsure of himself,  “Big fan, I'm Spider-Man.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, and gestured to Peter, “Yeah, we'll talk about it later. Just…”  
  
Peter waved, “Hey, everyone.” He noticed Natasha shaking her head and trying to hold back a smile at his nervousness.   
  
“… good job,” Tony reassured him.  
  
“You've been busy.” Steve cut in.  
  
Tony snapped his head to face him, his smile fading instantly, “And you've been a complete idiot!” He scolded, “Dragging in Clint. ' _Rescuing_ ' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place.”   
  
Peter had never heard Tony so angry yet so broken and determined to save the team. He wasn’t even mad at Steve, not directly. He was mad at the situation. At the time limit. At Steve’s stubbornness.   
  
Peter knew Tony more than anyone. His dad didn’t want a fight; he just wanted to keep the team together, because he knew something big was coming. And they were stronger when they were together.  
  
“I'm trying to keep...” Tony blurted, “I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart.”  
  
Steve sighed, “You did that when you signed.”  
  
Peter had to bite down on his lip to stop himself from saying something.  
  
“Alright, we're done.” Tony muttered, “You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us. Now!” He cried,  “Because it's us!”  
  
Peter darted his eyes over to Natasha, who had her eyes locked onto him. He knew she had no idea he was looking at her, not in his mask, but he relaxed knowing that she was checking in on him.  
  
“Or a squad of J-SOC guy with no compunction about being impolite!” Tony hesitated and shook his head, “Come on.”  
  
Steve looked directly at Tony but didn’t say a word. Instead, he held up his arms, an arrow shot through the air and tore through the webbing, freeing Steve’s arms, “Alright, Lang.”  
  
The hairs on Peter’s arm and the back of his neck stood on end; he looked at the shield, “Hey, guys, something…”  
  
There was a flash of light, and a figure, seemingly appearing from nowhere flipped up, grabbing the shield, and clocking Peter in the jaw, knocking him down onto his back.  
  
“ _Whoa_!” Rhodey exclaimed, “ _What-What the hell was that?_ ”  
  
Peter rolled up and jumped back onto his feet; the figure was dressed head-to-toe in a red and grey outfit, his face was covered, “I believe this is yours, Captain America.” He said, handing Steve back his shield.  
  
“ _Oh, great_.” Tony complained, “ _Alright, there's two on the parking deck. One of them's Maximoff; I'm gonna grab her.”_ He took off into the air _, “Rhodey, you want to take Cap_?”  
  
“ _Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes,_ ” Rhodey added.  
  
“ _Barnes is mine_!” T’Challa exclaimed charging away.  
  
Peter brought his shaking hand to his earpiece, “Hey, D--” He cut himself off, “ _Mr. Stark_ , what should I do?”  
  
_“What we discussed.”_ Tony told him, _“Keep your distance. Web 'em up!”_  
  
“Okay, copy that!” Peter shot out two strings of webbing and pulled himself up towards the terminal tunnel; he quickly noticed that T’Challa was busy taking on Steve. Meaning Bucky and Sam were still on the loose, “I got this; I got this.”  
  
He landed on the glass windows and crawled across, he attached himself on a beam, and swung around, smashing the window on impact.   
  
In the same swing, he was able to knock Sam down onto the floor. He turned around, and once again, caught Bucky’s fist before it was able to hit him. It was easier than last time because Bucky seemed to be in control of his mind, and wasn’t as violent before.   
  
Peter pushed his fist away and scanned it, “You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude!”  
  
Sam locked his arms around Peter and pulled him up as he took to the air.  
  
Peter scrambled his arms free and tried to shake free, “You have the right to remain silent!” Peter yelled, he quickly shot out a web and freed himself from Sam’s grasp.  
  
He swung around the support beams avoiding Sam’s hits. He landed on an airport directional sign, but it couldn’t support his weight, and it snapped, he flung himself forward, Sam went out another round of fire, and Peter narrowly missed it, he landed down on a beam.  
  
His sixth sense kicked in, “Oh God!” Bucky threw the sign directly towards him; Peter caught it with ease, “Hey buddy, I think you lost this!” He tossed it back.   
  
He didn’t have a chance to see the aftermath, as Sam kicked him down.   
  
Peter caught himself and fired a web on Sam’s back, locking his wings. The man crashed down into a small cell phone stand; he rolled over the ground.   
  
Peter never realised that fighting could be exhilarating but equally terrifying. He also never imagined his first team up would include fighting against his family.  
  
He didn’t want to admit it, but it was a relief that his first combat was against Sam and Bucky. He didn’t know Bucky at all, and he was only just getting to know Sam; he found it easier to fight against him.   
  
Easier than it would be against Steve, or Clint, who he had known since he was younger.  
  
He shot out two webs and trapped Sam’s wrists against a glass railing. He landed on the side on an information stand, “Those wings carbon fiber?” He asked, curious.   
  
“Is this stuff coming out of you?”   
  
“That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio,” Peter started, ignoring him, “Which, gotta say, that's awesome, man.”  
  
“I don't know if you've been a fight before, but there's usually not this much talking.” Sam scolded.   
  
“Alright, sorry,” Peter chuckled, “My bad.” He swung down, Bucky leapt forward, which actually worked in Peter’s favour as he was able to kick them down to the floor below. He webbed up Sam’s arms, and Bucky’s wrist, keeping them pinned down on the floor.  
  
They both looked up at him; their expressions were unreadable. He couldn’t tell if they were confused, or embarrassed that they had been taken down by a kid, “Wow, guys, I’d love to keep this up” He told them, “Like, I wish this was under different circumstances, and we weren’t against one another, _‘cause_ you’re both kinda coo--”  
  
A small drone connected to Peter’s wrist and pulled him away to the side, “What?” He smashed through the window, his head hit the beam, and the drone dropped him as soon as he was outside, “Wwahhhh!”  
  
He shot out a web and caught himself before he hit the floor. He put his feet flat against the ground and took a second to catch his breath. He brought his hand to his head, “Not cool, totally, _not_ cool!”


	94. A Family Fight

Peter took a moment to catch his breath before making his way back to the centre of the airport, which by the look of the damage, had become ground zero for their altercation.  Peter couldn’t bring himself to call it a ‘fight’ because that would mean he was battling against the people he loved to win. To beat them.  
  
He didn’t want that.   
  
If ‘ _Team Cap_ ’ were that far gone, and couldn’t admit defeat and listen to what Tony had to say, then it was too late, and this was a _fight_.  And no matter where they all ended up. They had all lost already.   
  
Peter heard the sound of Vision’s energy burst, followed by the trembling of the ground as his power cut through the concrete. “Captain Rogers!” His voice echoed, “I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now.”  
  
Peter webbed up the side of a plane and flung himself over; he landed down next to Rhodey. Vision flew down, stopping by his side. Natasha, Tony and T’Challa were on his right.   
  
All of Peter’s prior giddiness faded away when he looked over to the opposing team; he saw most of them as family: Steve, Clint, Wanda, even Sam. Everything felt wrong, and Peter couldn’t shake the feeling.  
  
His heart dropped as they started moving forward, ready and prepared for a fight.   
  
“This is gonna end well,” Natasha commented.  
  
Before he knew it, he was moving forward. Slow at first, but he started to speed up when they did. He looked over to Tony, “They're not stopping!”   
  
“Neither are we,” Tony said, his voice small and defeated.  
  
Peter charged forward, his powers giving him the advance of taking over his team and getting to the front line first. He was up against Wanda first, thanks to their friendship that had developed since the Battle of Sokovia, he knew her powers well. She did not know his.   
He darted a hit and leapt into the air.   
  
She started using her powers to hurdle cars and luggage tugs towards them, trying to knock him off kilter. He used this to his advantage and hopped over them while attempting to web up her arms.   
  
“Whoa!” He kicked off a car and propelled himself up onto a boarding tunnel. He held up his arm in defensive positions, and looked down to Wanda; his heart dropped when he saw her face.  
  
She was frozen, staring up at him. Her need to fight had faltered for a second, and her cheeks were devoid of colour. Peter then remembered, a little late, that Wanda could read minds. The main reason he forgot that was because she promised never to read his.  
  


He held his gloved finger to where his mouth would be, hoping his secret was safe with her. _Unsurely_ , she nodded. Peter took this as a confrontation and flipped back, away from her glare.  
  
He leaned against a wall, trying to gather his strength back. He knew Wanda was on the opposite team, but he trusted her with his secret. He had no other choice. And he knew that she wouldn’t tell anyone. She was like the only sister he’d ever known, and it wouldn’t be the first secret that she would keep for him.   
  
“ _Kid, you okay?_ ” Tony’s voice echoed through his comms.  
  
“Yeah.” Peter said breathlessly, “I’m good.”  
  
“ _No one else can hear us at the moment. I’ve jammed the link. It’s just you and me, bud_.” Tony told him, “ _So, you can be honest._ ”  
  
“I’m just taking a moment.” Peter placed a hand on his chest and felt his heart thump under his hand, “Um, I think Wanda worked me out.”  
  
“ _Don’t worry_.” He reassured him, “ _You two together are usually...well, you’re as thick as thieves. She won’t tell anyone; I know she won’t_.”  
“Me too.”  
  
“ _Do you want to duck out_?” Tony asked, “ _It’s completely fine_ \--”  
  
“No.” He blurted, “I’m good; I got this.”  
  
“ _Okay, kiddo_.” Tony sighed, “ _I’m turning off this link now, but you remember the safe word_?”  
  
“I remember.” The safe word was something that Tony had come up with on the way to the airport. If Peter were to say it, Tony would drop everything and get him out of the fight as quick as humanly possible.  
  
The word was ‘ _stormtrooper._ ’ Peter’s idea.   
  
Tony cut off the link between them, leaving Peter alone with his thoughts once more.   
  
He waited a few minutes before swinging up and darting his eyes across the airport, his first battleground. He noticed T’Challa being held back by Wanda; he could handle that; all he had to do was web up T’Challa and pull him away.  
  
He leapt up and swung down. His senses were behind his mind, and he didn’t notice Cap’s shield until it sliced through his webbing and knocked him off course. He was fast enough to catch him in a crouched   
position.  
  
He watched as the shield flew back to Steve and locked onto his arm, “That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all.” He teased gesturing to the shield.  
  
“Look, kid.” Steve said, his tone had a patronising undertone that didn’t sit right with Peter, “There's a lot going on here that you don't understand.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes under his mask “I knew you'd say that. Wow.” He knew he shouldn’t have said ‘I’ because it implied that he knew Steve, but it was too late to take it back.  
  
He held out his right arm and sent out a line of webbing towards Steve; his uncle blocked the attack with his shield. Peter groaned, and turned to send out another string of web from his left arm, this time he struck Steve’s foot.   
  
He pulled with all his strength, Steve face-planted onto the ground, obviously not expecting a fight with such force.  
  
Peter used his surprise against him. He pulled on his webbing and jolted himself forward towards Steve, he kicked him in the jaw and sent the supersoldier flying back into a luggage tug.   
  
He cartwheeled away as he heard the shield roll across the ground, “Mr. Stark said to go for your legs!” He laughed, once again putting up his fake persona.   
  
Steve didn’t respond. Instead, he jumped onto his feet heading for his shield. Peter leapt to his feet, and fired a web catching one of Steve’s wrists, he quickly manoeuvred himself over and webbed up his other hand.   
  
He pulled back, trying to keep Steve away from the shield at all costs.   
  
Steve unexpectedly turned around and pulled back on the webs; he twirled in the air, his movement sent Peter flying, and also weakened the webbing, it snapped away.   
  
Peter screamed as he shored through the air, but he quickly caught himself down on one knee, “Not cool.” He muttered frustratedly under his breath, “So not cool.”   
  
He turned back,  ready for a fight this time, and webbed up the shield again.  
  
This time, Steve was one step ahead of him. His uncle wrapped a hand around the webbing and yanked it, dragging Peter forward.   
  
Peter knew exactly what was going to happen before it did. He attempted to prepare himself mentally, but he knew it would not work.   
  
Steve swung the shield and hit Peter square in the face. Peter cried out, and he fell flat on his back, he quickly scrambled onto his feet and crawled away.   
  
Peter didn’t feel up to fighting against Steve anymore, especially with the ringing in his ears. He swung himself up onto the safety of the boarding tunnel, giving himself space to think of his next move.  
  
“Stark tell you anything else?” Steve called up.  
  
“That you're wrong,” Peter told him, _even though you’ve had this spelt out to you more than once. “_ You think you're right. That makes you dangerous.”  
  
He swung down and shot out another web. His focus was off though; he knew it would be. Fighting Sam and Bucky was one thing, fighting Steve was a new level because he had known for years. It just felt off.  
  
Steve jumped up and kicked Peter in the stomach. Peter’s back hit against the boarding tunnel supports, and he collapsed down onto the ground.   
  
He winced as he tried to crawl away, “Guess he had a point.” Peter watched helplessly as Steve threw his shield, hitting the support beam.   
  
He leapt to his feet and caught the boarding tunnel before it had the chance to hurt him. He realised his own strength when his hand bent the metal. He knew this strength was extraordinary but also terrifying; it was one of the reasons he never threw a punch, in fear he’d hurt someone.   
  
“You got heart, kid” Steve complimented, “Where are you from?”  
  
Peter thought for a second, and decided to answer with the city he was born into, “Queens.”  
  
A mischievous grin grew on Steve’s face, “Brooklyn.” And with that, he charged away, leaving Peter behind supporting an airport boarding tunnel.   
  
“Damn it.” He cursed, he lunged forward and barreled rolled away as the tunnel collapsed down onto the ground.   
  
“Hey, hey!” Natasha’s soft voice came from above him; she held out her hand, “You okay?”  
  
“I’m good.” He gripped onto her hand and let her pull him up into a sitting position, “I’m fine, Nat. Um, go. You need to stop them.”  
  
She let out a hesitant breath before backing away,  “Stay safe!”  
  
“Always."


	95. The Obligatory Star Wars Reference

Peter couldn’t work out how long it had been since Natasha had come to check on him. He knew that he was more than ready to say the safe word, and get out of there, but another part of him, a stronger, more pemismist part, couldn’t bring himself to give up. Not yet.  
  
There was a symphony of battle noises playing around him, joined with the occasional flashes of light from the Iron Man and War Machine armours. Everyone was up against something, apart from him. He was crouched down, waiting for his next adrenaline rush to kick in.  
  
It kickstarted when the man from before, the one who had been able to kick Peter off balance and take Cap’s shield back, appeared once more, out of nowhere.  
  
This time, he wasn’t tiny, or regular-sized, he was almost _sixty-feet_ tall; he towered over the airport while gripping tightly onto Rhodey’s leg, keeping him from taking off.  
  
Peter turned around and brought his hands to his head, “Holy shit!”  
  
“ _Okay, tiny dude is big now._ ” Rhodey’s voice crackled through his earpiece, “ _He's big now_.”  
  
“ _Give me back my Rhodey_.” Tony threatened, he couldn’t tell if he was intentionally trying to be funny, but if he wasn’t, Peter couldn’t hold back a slight chuckle.   
  
Giant-Man as Peter had now elected to call him, swung Rhodey around like a ragdoll, and let go. The speed he was tossed at meant he didn’t have time to save himself. Peter could only imagine the confusion of being spun at hundreds of miles per hour while trapped inside a metal suit.  
  
He charged up a ramp, his eyes locked solely on his uncle Rhodey, “I got him!” He jumped off and attached a line of web to the back of Rhodey’s suit.   
  
He knew he needed to slow him down, or Rhodey was going to crash into the stationary plane and take Peter with him.   
  
He crashed his feet through the window of a truck, he was unexpected some pain due to the fact he smashed the glass with his feet, but there was nothing. He knew fully well that when building the suit, Tony would have thought of every possibility, including broken glass.   
  
Peter dragged his heels back and was able to stop himself from being pulled forward. This gave his Uncle time to escape. Rhodey activated his thrusters and turned back towards the fight.  
  
“Awesome!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
“ _Hey Spider-dude, stick with me_.” Rhodey called down, “ _I’ve got a plan.”_  
  
“On it!” Peter attached himself to Rhodey’s back and relied on his uncle to safely fly him across the battleground.  
  
_“Okay, anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose.”_ Tony said, _“I'm open to suggestion.”_  
  
“Alright, Spidey!” Rhodey shouted. Peter snickered under his breath. His uncle came in a close second to Tony when it came to making up nicknames on the spot, “On my signal.”  
  
“ _Alright_!” Rhodey flew up higher, above the action, guiding Peter along with him, “ _Wait, wait, what’s the signal?_ ”  
  
“ _You’ll see_!” Rhodey echoed back; Peter groaned, he would be talking with his dad and uncle about their blatant lack of communication skills when it came down to a fight.   
  
Rhodey shored down towards Giant-Man, he sent out multiple mini-missiles from his suit, which collided against the giant’s neck but didn’t do any real damage to him, or the suit. It was just a distraction.   
  
Peter sent out a web and attached himself to the giant’s left arm, he pulled free of Rhodey’s grasp and wrapped himself the oversized arm.   
  
He flung himself up, and kicked Giant-Man in the jaw; the man groaned out in anguish.  
  
He looped himself around and attached himself to the giant’s back. He slowly started to climb up as the rest of the team had their go at trying to take him down.  
  
He waited until it seemed his team were all occupied with their own troubles before crawling up over the man’s head, down across his eyes, distracting him from noticing Vision, who was hovering just below Peter.   
  
“Get off!” The figure shouted, pushing Peter down.  
  
Peter caught himself on the side of the plane and took a second to realise how ridiculous this entire fight seemed. They were battling a Giant in the middle of an airport in Germany. It sounded fake, but it was actually happening.   
  
He watched from afar as Vision flew through the man’s chest, “Something just flew in me!” He screamed, paralysed in fear.  
  
Peter narrowed his eyes, noticing Steve charging away with Barnes towards the hanger, where the Quinjet was. He thought about helping Vision but was distracted when Giant-Man swung his arm and knocked him off his feet.  
  
“Shit.” He groaned, leaning his head against the cold metal of the plane. He waited a few moments, laying low.   
  
A thought crossed his mind, and he turned his head to look at Giant-Man. He stared at him for a few seconds, making up a plan in his head as fast as he could.   
  
He had been looking at this situation too much like a superhero. Instead, he started to look at it differently — the perspective of a kid who lived and breathed _Star Wars_.   
  
He scrambled up onto his feet and charged across the side of the plane, avoiding Giant-Man’s hand. “Hey, guys!” He exclaimed, “You ever see that _really old movie,_ Empire Strikes Back?”  
  
Peter could almost imagine Tony’s eye roll at his desperate attempt to not sound like himself. It seemed gratuitous, covering up his love for the classics, but if he acted too much like himself, Rhodey would figure him out in a heartbeat.  
  
“ _Jesus, Tony, how old is this guy_?” Rhodey commented.  
  
“ _I don't know; I didn't carbon-date him_.” Tony said, still attempting to cover up Peter’s true identity, “ _He's on the young side_.”  
  
Peter attached his webbing to the Giant-Man’s chest and flung himself up, “You know that part where they're on the snow planet…” He started to wrap the webbing around the figure’s oversized legs, locking his legs together, “With the walking thingies!?”  
  
It hurt Peter’s heart to pretend not to know that much about his favourite movies, but his theory seemed to be working.  
  
“ _Maybe the kid's on to something,_ ” Tony said, not doing a good job of hiding the pride in his voice.  
  
“ _High now, Tony. Go high_.” Rhodey added.  
  
Peter watched as both of them, in perfect unison, flew up into the air, and punched Giant-Man in the face. That was enough, and the man started falling back into the plane behind them.  
  
Peter laughed, overjoyed, he held up a thumb, “Yes!” He celebrated, “That was awesome!”  
  
Peter’s senses didn’t have enough time to warn him, as one of the Giant’s Man hands hit him in the back,  he screamed as he toppled down. He hit the ground at full force and rolled a few times before stopping.  
  
“Ow.” He groaned, moving over to his side. He pulled up his mask, and took in a weak breath which burnt his lungs, “Not cool, _not cool_.” He closed his eyes tightly as the sun beaming down, overwhelmed him.  
  
The hairs on his arms stood on end when a shadow cast over him blocking out the sunlight, “Kid, you alright?  
  
He couldn’t make out the voice in his dazed manner, so he fought. He turned and punched out his arms at his potential attacker, “Hey! Get off me!” He quickly realised it was Tony, but he couldn’t get his reflexes to stop fighting back.  
  
Tony, with difficulty, grabbed Peter’s arms and held them up, “Same side!” He exclaimed, “Guess who. _Hi_.”  
  
Peter relaxed, and dropped his arms, “Oh.” He closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, “Hey, Dad.”    
  
“I got you, kid.”   
  
Peter dropped his jaw, trying to get the feeling back on the left side of his face, “That was scary.” He admitted.  
  
“Yeah. You're done.” Tony told him, Peter kept blinking trying to adjust to the apparent concussion he had, “Alright?  
  
“What?” He asked, Tony’s words finally catching up with him.  
  
“You did a good job.” Tony praised, “Stay down.”  
  
Peter tried to push against Tony’s grip, “No, I'm good. I'm fine.” He couldn’t stop now, not when he knew the fight was far from over.  
  
“Stay down.” Tony pleaded.  
  
“No, it's good I gotta get him back!” Peter yelped.  
  
“Stand down, or I’ll tell your mum!” Tony threatened he charged away from his side“You're done!” He took off into the sky.  
  
“Wait. Dad, wait!” Peter cried; he sat up and tried to follow. He collapsed down onto his back, “I'm not done, I'm not…” He pulled his mask over his face and laid his head against the ground, “Okay, I'm done. I'm _done_.”

Peter allowed himself to drift off as the darkness closed in around him. One thought crossed his mind before he lost consciousness, a dark thought he wished he could shake.  
  
_Tony didn’t say goodbye._

 


	96. It's Over

Peter didn’t wake on the discomfort of concrete ground. He felt like he was floating mid-air, laying down across a cloud. He knew that idea was utterly infeasible, even in his confused mindset. It would be impossible to lay down on a cloud; you’d just fall right through.  
  
Peter let out a breathless chuckle at his own dazed idiocy. His laughter died when his body started to wake up, and reality collapsed around him.  
  
He brought a hand to the side of his head, and winced, at the unbearable sharp sensation above his right eye. “Ah.”   
  
He blinked his eyes open and quickly gathered his bearings. He was tucked up in his bed on the Stark jet.   
  
“What the _hell_?” He sat up and placed his feet on the carpeted ground, “Friday, open the door.”  
  
His bedroom door rolled open, light beamed, startling Peter. He pushed past the pain, his mind set on finding Tony.  
  
He realised as he stepped out into the main body of the plane, that he was no longer in his Spider-Man suit; he was in an oversized grey jumper and red plaid pyjama trousers.   
  
He turned the corner and stopped at the sight.  
  
Tony was sitting down in one of the chairs, hunched over with his head in his hands.   
  
“Dad?” Peter called warily.  
  
Tony snapped his head up. His face was an artwork of bruises and abrasions. Somehow; he looked like he had aged half a decade since Peter had last seen him. The dark bruising emphasised his obvious tiredness underneath his eyes and the slight tremble of his jaw.  
  
“Dad,” Peter repeated, worry entangled in his tone.  
  
Tony jumped out of his chair and rushed over towards him.  
  
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Peter blurted, “I’m--”   
  
Tony threw himself around Peter and pulled him into a protective embrace. His hold was bone-crushingly tight, but Peter didn’t say a word because he felt safe. He felt grounded.   
  
Peter nuzzled his face into the groove of Tony’s neck, “Oh.” He gasped, “Dad, are you okay?”  
  
Tony didn’t answer; he just locked his hands behind Peter’s back and let out a shaky breath.  
  
“Dad…” Peter hiccuped, “You’re scaring me.” Tony loosened his grip, and leant back; tears were swimming in his eyes, “ _Dad_.”  
  
Tony brought his hand up and placed it against Peter’s cheek, “How do you feel?”  
  
“....Um, okay.” Peter shrugged, “Just a headache.”  
  
Tony stepped back and headed over to the cabinet near the front of the plane, “I’ll find you some painkiller.”  
  
“Don’t.” Peter admitted Tony, spun on his heel, “They don’t work with my...powers.”  
  
Tony sighed defeated, “I’ll have to look into that. Water?” Peter nodded, “One second.” Tony bent down, and took out a bottle of water from the fridge, he turned back, heading towards Peter.  
  
“What happened?” Peter asked. Tony stopped in his tracks, and his grip around the bottle loosened. Peter jumped forward and caught it before it hit the floor.  
  
Tony let out a hum; he nudged Peter’s shoulder, “Quick reflexes.” He turned and fell into his chair.   
  
“Dad…” Peter sat down in the chair opposite, “What happened?”  
  
Tony darted his eyes down to the ground, “I’m sorry, bud.” He said softly. Peter knew this was the most vulnerable and unguarded his dad had ever been with him. Whatever happened, it wasn’t good.  
  
“Why?”  
  
Tony leaned closer to Peter, “Romanoff, she let Rogers and Barnes go.”   
  
Peter blinked away tears, and brought his cupped hand up to his mouth, trying to fight the urge to throw up. The pounding agony in his head joined together with what his dad was telling him didn’t sit right in his stomach.  
  
“She helped them escape.”   
  
Peter shook his head, and let out a startled humourless laugh in utter confusion, “What..ugh,  what, why?” He blurted.  
  
“She said they’d never stop if she didn’t.”  
  
Peter cleared his throat, “So, does that--”  
  
“She attacked T’Challa.” Tony finished, “So, yeah. Ross, and others, they’ll come for her.”  
  
Peter refused to believe it. It would hurt, but he knew he could settle in life without the Avengers, without Steve or Clint, or Wanda. He could learn to move on, but he could never prepare him to live his life without Natasha around.  
  
“Like, can, um…” Peter stuttered, “Can you stop them? Can you protect her?”  
  
“Haven’t I done enough?!” Tony erupted, he sat upright and held out his arms at his sides.   
  
Peter jolted back in his chair at his dad’s sudden change in mood, but he understood the change.   
“Shit.” Tony cursed, he held out his hand, “No, _no._ I didn’t mean to shout at you, um, God. Sorry.”  
  
Peter let out a slow breath and leaned forward, “What are you not telling me?”  
  
Tony blinked away tears, and his face paled, “Your..urr…” He dragged his teeth over his lower lip and shook his head, “Rhodey got hurt.”  
  
Peter’s heart dropped, “Hurt?”  
  
“Bad.” Tony sighed, “He fell and I couldn’t, I _didn’t_ \--”   
  
Peter knew exactly what Tony was trying to say. He was blaming himself for not catching Rhodey before he hit the ground.   
  
Peter brushed away tears, “Is he gonna be okay?”   
  
Tony leaned back and twiddled his thumbs as he let out a long hum. He stared up at Peter, and shook his head, “By the looks of things, it’s gonna be some form of paralysis.”  
  
Peter’s throat cracked, and he bowed his head down. He cried out again, regretting jerking his head. “Ah.” He rubbed the pain with his fingers.  
  
“Bud?” Tony said, concerned.  
  
Peter swallowed the bile rising in his throat and leaned back up, “I’m good.” He said breathlessly, as he winced again, closing his eyes.  
  
“Friday, dim the lights to 30%.”   
  
Peter’s shoulders relaxed, and he slumped back in his chair, like a puppet freed from its strings, “Thanks.”  
  
“I wish I could do more to help, bud,” Tony said guiltily.   
  
“Not your fault.” Peter sighed, “It--t-was the spider.”  
  
A sudden shiver overcame Peter. He scrambled up onto his feet, and weakly stumbled over toward his dad,  “Hey, hey.” Tony held out his hands, catching Peter’s wrist.  
  
“I’m ‘kay.” Peter bent down and crawled down next to Tony. He laid his head on Tony’s chest, just under his chin.   
  
Tony caught Peter’s legs and guided them up onto his lap, “I got you.” He threaded his fingers through his son’s hair, “Better?”  
  
Peter snuggled closer, “You’re really warm..” He let out a slow breath, “Dad.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
Peter listened to Tony’s heart for a few seconds, happy to hear the familiar thud. He blinked away tears, remembering everything that had just happened, “I didn’t want anything to change.”  
  
Tony bent down, placing a kiss in Peter’s unruly hair, “Me neither.” He admitted, “But...there’s nothing I can do.”  
  
Peter buried his face into Tony’s chest and let out a small muted cry.   
  
The fight was over, _for now_. But it wasn’t the only thing that had come to an abrupt end.   
  
The life Peter had grown accustomed too, the one surrounded the Avengers, was also over.   
  
And that realisation hurt more than any physical pain ever could. 


	97. Never Left Behind

The Avengers headquarters seemed unwelcoming, and unhomely Peter despised the heavy feeling dread in the pit of his stomach because this building had once been his second home. It used to be something beautiful, and now those memories were like a blunt knife in his lodged in his back.  
  
Tony placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, and stopped him from moving forward, “I’ll check on Rhodey. You need to go up to the lounge.”  
  
“No. No, no.” Peter blurted, “Wait--why--why do I need to go to the lounge?”  
  
Tony gently took hold of Peter’s wrists and held them up, “Bud, calm down, okay?” He said softly, “Take a moment.”  
  
Peter nodded and let out a deep exhale, “I should go and see Uncle Rhodey too.”   
  
“Trust me.” Tony squeezed his hands, he attempted to wink with his black eye, but ended up just rapidly blinking with both eyes, “Go up to the lounge; it’s important.”  
  
The realisation hit Peter like a train, and he stepped away, “Oh, okay.”  
  
Tony let go of Peter’s wrists and smiled brittlely, “I’ll come and get you.”  
  
Peter clapped his hands together as he skipped back, “Got it.” He swiftly turned and charged over to the elevator.  
  
He, regrettably, ignored the kind hellos from the staff who knew him personally. His mind was set on getting up to the lounge because this was his _last chance._ He’d find a way to apologise to people later.  
  
He charged into the lounge, he tore his backpack off and tossed it down on the couch, “Auntie Nat!”  
  
Natasha emerged from around the corner; her face instantly melted at the sight of him; she charged over and pulled him into a bone-crushing hold. Even Peter’s super strength wasn’t a match for her grip. 

“Why?” Peter cried into his groove of her shoulder, “Why did you do it?” He tightened his lock around her, “We’re meant to stick together! _Why-”_  
  
“I’m sorry.” She sighed, “I had to.”  
  
Peter pushed back on her arms; he shook his head, “No, you didn’t.”  
  
Natasha placed her hand against his cheek and brushed away his tears with the side of the thumb, “This whole thing was played wrong.”  
  
Peter leaned into her touch and let out a desperate sob, “I don’t want you to go away.”  
  
“And I don’t wanna leave.” She admitted, “But I need to go before they arrest me.”  
  
“Nat….”  
  
“This will not get in the way of me seeing you.” She promised, her throat voice cracking, “You’ll see me around.”  
  
Peter hummed a slight chuckle, “When I least expect it?”  
  
Natasha snorted, “Yeah.” She moved her hand up and brushed it through his hair, “This is not goodbye, Peter.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“I promise.” She moved her hands down and gripped onto his, “You did a great job today. I wish I had more time to spar with you.”  
  
Peter shrugged, “Got any quick tips?”  
  
“Learn how to punch.” She said,  “And, I know, this sounds terrible, but listen to your dad.”  
  
He scrunched his face and let out a fake gasp, “Ugh.”  
  
She let out a small laugh and rolled her eyes, “I know.” She gripped tightly onto his hands, “And... stay safe.”  
  
“I will.”  
  
Natasha darted her eyes over to the door, “I should go.” Peter leapt into her arms again, locking himself around her, “Oh--”  
  
“I’ll miss you.” He muttered into her shoulder.  
  
She rubbed his back, comfortingly, “I’ll come back.”  
  
He leaned back and looked at her through glazed eyes, “You better.”  
  
She nodded. She stepped away, waiting until the very last second to let go of Peter’s hand. Nothing else was said. Peter watched as she left, she never once turned back, and he understood why.   
  
Peter crumbled as soon as she was out of sight. He was taken over by a series of uncontrollable sobs, but he didn’t care.  
  
He felt like he’d lost everything. Well, he lost his childhood innocence, it left alongside Natasha.  
  
He knew after all this was over, he’d cling onto Tony like a lifeline. He refused ever to let go of him.  
  
He also refused to let him fight _alone_.  
  
He took his backpack and took out his ‘ _Don’t Tell Dad_ ’ device.   
  
“Sorry about this Friday,” Peter muttered through his sore throat.  
  
“ _Kid-knows-best mode activated.”_ Friday’s voice echoed through the room  
  
Peter waved his hand out in front of him, “Shush.” He looked around, hoping no one heard, “You totally did that on purpose.” He entered a code into the machine, “Fri, where can I find a GPS tracker?”  
  
_“They are available in the weapon room on Level Ten, however Agent. Romanoff has a set stored in her locker, which is to your immediate right.”_  
  
“Thanks.” He hurried over to the lockers. He pressed his D.T.D device up against it,  he entered a combination, and the locker clicked open.  
  
Like predicted, Natasha’s locker was pre well organised. It made his job easy, as he quickly located the GPS trackers.  
  
“Got them.” He closed the locker, and turned around, “Friday, what Iron Man armour is currently in storage at this facility?”  
  
“ _Mark XLVI,  but that is currently just a prototype_ \--  
  
“Stop there, I know.” He sighed, “I’m helped build it. Which bay is it in?”  
  
“ _2A._ ”  
  
“Thanks.” He jumped in, and sat down on a couch.  
  
He fiddled with the GBS tracker, making sure he would know how to use it. It didn’t take long for him to wrap his head around.  
  
He buried it into his pocket when he heard the door slide open, “Peter?”  
  
Tony turned the corner, “Hey, Dad.” Peter bounced up onto his feet, trying to act nonchalant, “How’s Uncle Rhodey?”  
  
“He’s doing…” Tony trailed off, “Well, he’s doing the best he can.”  
  
“Good.” Peter studied his dad, “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”  
  
“Ah, you know me so well, bud.” Tony sighed, “Yeah, I’ve gotta go. This whole thing is a mess it needs sorting out.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Tony reached over and squeezed Peter’s shoulder, “You stay here. Try and get some sleep. I’ll be back before you know it.”  
  
Peter smiled, unsurely, “I know.”  
  
“You did really well today.” He praised.  
  
Peter shrugged half-heartedly, “I tried.”  
  
“You blew me away, kid!” Tony exclaimed proudly, “You always do.”  
  
“Thanks, Dad.” Peter dragged him into a hug, planting the GPS tracker on his shirt, “Be careful.”  
  
“Always.” Tony snickered, he stepped away, and nudged Peter’s chin,  “Love you.”   
  
“To the moon and back.”

* * *

Peter waited for a few minutes before hurrying up to the suit storage unit. The floor was empty, which made perfect sense considering the majority of the Avengers were now war criminals.  
  
He brushed a hand over his face, “What am I doing?”   
  
“ _You’re commandeering Mark XLVI and stalking your father,”_ Friday answered.  
  
“It’s not stalk--okay.” Peter cut himself off, “ _I am_ , but ugh---shut up, Fri. And anyway, I’m only doing this to protect him.”  
  
Peter locked the door behind him and took his backpack off. He quickly changed out his clothes and back into his Spider-Man suit.  
  
“So cool.” He whispered under his breath, “Um, okay.” He placed his DTD device into his backpack, and webbed it up on the ceiling, out of sight and reach. “Ah, A2.”   
  
He opened the capsule and was welcomed by the _Mark_ _XLVI_ armour. It was similar to most of Tony’s suits, with the familiar red and gold exterior, the only difference was the front was silver.   
  
“ _Peter, I must remind you that this is a prototype.”_  
  
“I’m not planning to fight in it.” Peter reassured her, “Just fly. And I’ve done that before.”   
  
Peter had only flown the Iron Man armour a few times, for fun, and every time he did so, Tony was either watching from the ground or flying alongside him. This was a huge step-up.  
  
“Okay, here goes nothing.” He pulled the Spider-Man mask over his face and activated the Iron Man armour.   
  
The casing opening, he let out a hesitant before climbing inside. It closed around him.  A soft weight pushed up on his feet, propping him up so that he was the right height to fit inside.   
  
“Fri, open…” Peter looked up, “Rooftop Exit Four.” He watched the hatch clicked open; he deployed the thrusters and flew out. He screeched, but he was not sure if it was out of fear or exuberance. It was most likely just a combination of both, “Let’s do this.” 


	98. Stranger Danger

Peter kept mumbling nonsense as he followed Tony’s tracks. He did it only to distract himself from the ridiculousness of what he was doing.   
  
His incoherent sentences stopped him from realising how fast the suit was travelling, and how far above ground he was.   
  
The suit came to a holt two hundred feet above the Atlantic ocean, and so did Peter’s rambling, “Friday, um--Dad can’t be underwater.”  
  
_“You are currently hovering over the Raft.”_  
  
“There is nothing here. Just the ocean.”  
  
_“The Raft is an underwater prison.”_  
  
Peter raised his eyebrows in curiosity, “That’s...um, awesome. Why?”  
  
_“It is a prison for the sole purpose of detaining and incarcerating enhanced individuals.”_  
  
Peter’s heart sank to his feet, “Like me.”  
  
_“No.”_ Friday said, her tone softer than usual, “ _You have not committed any crimes, Peter.”_  
  
Peter sniffled and allowed a small smile to crawl onto his face. It had taken him a while to warm to Friday because he’d grown up with Jarvis. But, she was created by Tony, and he could always hear it when Tony’s attitude broke through her programming.   
  
“Thanks, Fri.” He grinned, “So, Dad’s in there.”  
  
_“Yes, he is currently inside. It seems that he is on his way out now..”_  
  
“Oh, shit.” Peter flew up, attempting to conceal himself in the storm clouds. “Friday, who is in the Raft right now? Like the prisoners.”  
  
“ _Notable prisoners are Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton and Sam Wilson_.”   
  
Peter scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, trying to stop himself from crying. He knew that they decided to fight, but he wished it hadn’t ended like this.  
  
His dark thoughts were interrupted by a loud sound of rushing water; he looked to see a circular concrete structure emerge out of the ocean, “Oh. That’s...kinda cool.” _Apart from the fact people I love are imprisoned inside._  
  
Peter noticed a Stark helicopter take to the skies, he hesitated, before steadily following behind.  
  
Tony’s tracker suddenly jumped forward, but Peter could still see the helicopter a few yards out in front of him. It didn’t take him long to realise Tony had flown away in one of his suits.   
  
Peter used the thrusters to quicken his pace, not wanting to fall too far behind Tony.   
  
From there, he kept a safe distance.  
  
He knew, thanks to his _D.T.D_ device, Tony would be unable to track him. So, he was safe on that front. He still had no idea why he’d chosen to follow Tony; it was just an instinct he had, to protect him, to be there for him. _The same Tony had for him._  
  
Time faded away into nothing. Peter couldn’t tell how long he had been flying, because his mind was locked solely on staying two steps behind his dad.  
  
Peter stopped when Tony seemingly reached his desired location. He waited a few minutes before following.  
  
Wherever they were, it was covered in a thick layer of snow, “Friday, where are we?”  
  
“ _Siberia._ ”  
  
“Siberia?” Peter frowned, “What is Dad doing in Siberia?”  
  
_“We are close to an abandoned Russian Armed Forces bunker.”_  
  
Peter looked around; he was surrounded by an empty blanket of snow,  which seemed to stretch out for miles. There was no one in sight, “This must be where Uncle Steve is.”   
  
_“Peter, this suit is currently at 1% battery power.”_  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“ _This suit is a prototype, and your D.T.D device jammed my signals_.”   
  
“Shit.” He cursed, “How long can you last on 1%?”  
  
_“If you remain stationary, twenty minutes. I recommend you stay in the suit until this time, as the temperature outside is 23 °F.”_  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, “Are you telling me to lay low?”  
  
_“Are you going to listen to me?”_  
  
He sighed exasperatedly, “Yeah.”   
  
***  
The twenty minutes with the _Iron Man_ armour went by in a blink of an eye. And the first twenty minutes without its comfort were the slowest of Peter’s life.  
  
“Shit.” He was attempting to patch the GPS system through into this Spider-Man suit; it was proving difficult with shaking hands. “Ah, got you.”  
  
He tapped his arm, and activated the screen inside his Spider-Man mask, the display of Tony’s GPS signal popped up in his display window.  
  
He let out a relieved sigh, glad that Tony was still close by, and hadn't moved. If he had, Peter would have been well and truly stuck.  
  
He didn’t have long to be happy, because his hair stood on end, and a sharp shock travelled up his spine, “What the hell?” He stood up and listened out.  
  
“Come on, Buck.” Steve’s familiar voice echoed from close by; he sounded down-hearted and tired. Really tired, “We’re almost there.”  
  
“Steve, just go.” Peter presumed that was Bucky, in all the time he fought him, he had never actually heard him speak.  
  
“Not without you,” Steve said in response.  
  
Worry for Tony settled in Peter’s stomach; he placed his hands on the side of the rock that he was concealing himself behind, and jumped over.   
  
Steve quickly moved into defensive positions.   
  
Peter scanned the pair; their faces were a canvas of deep cuts and bruises. Bucky’s vibranium arm was gone, and he was using Steve as a support.   
  
“Captain?” Peter greeted unsurely.  
  
“Is that the kid from Leipzig?” Bucky asked.   
  
“Yes.” Steve titled into his shoulder, “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Looking for Mr. Stark…” Peter snapping into his Spider-Man persona, “What did you do?”  
  
“Look, _Queens_ , I told you that there is a lot happening here that you don’t understand.” Steve said, his tone annoyingly patronising, “I’m sorry you got dragged--”  
  
“I wasn’t dragged into anything.” Peter snapped, “He doesn’t know I’m here. What did you do?”

“Go home, kid.”   
  
“What did you do?” Peter needed an answer; he would keep asking until he got one.  
  
If Steve kept ignoring it, then Peter’s assumptions were right; Steve had done something, something he could never come back from.  
  
“Kid, you really don’t want any part of this.” Steve said, once again avoiding the question,  “This world..it's not what its chalked up to be.”  
  
Peter turned his head away, staring down at the snow, “I--” He let out a shaky breath, and snapped his focus back to Steve, “I know a lot more about this world then you do.”  
  
It was true. Peter did know more because he had watched Tony be I _ron Man_ for eight years, and Steve had only been Captain America for around six years ( _not including his time in the ice_.)  
  
“How?”   
  
A thousand voices screamed in Peter’s head, telling him not to do what he was going to do, but he ignored every single one of them. He gripped onto the back of his mask and pulled it off.   
  
Steve’s breath hitched, and he repeatedly blinked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing,  “...Peter?  
  
Peter blinked away tears; he felt his cheeks flush red with anger, “What did you do?”  
  
“What--what? How did-- You were-”   
  
“I got bitten by a radioactive spider.” Peter explained half-heartedly, “Now, tell me, what did you do?”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
Peter’s throat cracked, “That’s not what asked for.”  
  
“It’s not that easy..”  
  
“Dad wouldn’t do this without reason.”  
  
He noticed Bucky flinch when he called Tony ‘ _dad_ ,’ he could see guilt reflected in the supersoldier eyes, but he elected to ignore it, and concentrate on Steve.  
  
Steve shrugged, “Then you’ll have to ask him.”  
  
“Did you hurt him?”  
  
“I was only stopping him from kill--”  
  
Peter waved his hand around, “No, no!” He cried, “If he wanted you dead, you’d be dead already. And you _know_ that.”  
  
“Peter…”  
  
“No.” Peter clenched his fists down by his side and closed his eyes.   
  
All his senses went haywire. He had never felt like this before. Not once in his life. He couldn’t even describe what he was feeling, but he knew why he was feeling it.  
  
Steve hurt Tony and just knowing that Peter saw red.   
  
Tony took betrayal to heart; it hurt him more than physical pain ever could.   
  
Peter knew that because Obadiah Stane was still a sore subject to talk about.  
  
At that moment, Peter forgot about Spider-Man, and he let go of all his good memories of Steve; he was just a boy standing in front of the man who hurt his dad.  
  
He lunged forward faster than his mind could comprehend, he swung his right fist, and it connected with Steve’s jaw.  
  
Peter heard two _bone-chilling_ cracks, and he jumped back, looking down at his obviously broken hand, “Shit.” 

“Steve!” Bucky screeched.  
  
“I’m okay,” Steve said, his voice slurred slightly.  
  
Peter looked up, realising the other crack he heard was Steve’s jaw, which was most definitely dislocated.   
  
Steve’s turned his focus to Peter, concern swimming in his eyes, “Peter...are you…”  
  
“Leave me alone.” Peter cried as he shuffled back.  
  
“Peter, you’re hurt.” Steve said softly, “Let me see.”  
  
Tears ran down Peter’s cheeks, and he shook his head as a sob caught in his throat, “I never want to see you again!”  
  
And with that harrowing goodbye, he ran. 


	99. The First Protocol

Peter clumsily slipped his mask back over his face with his one good hand. He sobbed, unashamedly, as he charged away. He prayed that Steve wouldn’t be dumb enough to follow. The worst part about the last thing he said to him was that it was true.   
  
He followed the tracker in his headset; he reached a ledge that led to a bunker. He sent out a line of webbing, and threw himself down; he held back a scream as he had to put weight on his broken hand.   
  
He stumbled through the archway; he felt safer on solid ground, “Dad! Dad, where are you?”  
  
“Peter?” A small broken voice hiccuped from close by.  
  
Peter twisted, and his walls fell around him.  
  
Tony was hunched over on his knees, struggling to breathe;  his suit was damaged beyond recognition, his chest plate and arc reactor had been torn apart, Peter could tell that Steve’s shield had done the damage.  
  
Steve had struck Tony where he was most vulnerable.   
  
“Dad…” Peter tore his mask off and tossed it aside, “Oh…”  
  
“What--” Tony coughed, “What the _hell_ are you doing here?!”  
  
Peter collapsed down in front of him, “Didn’t want you to be alone.” He held out his hand, hesitantly “Jesus.”  
  
“I can’t brea--”  
  
“It’s okay. I got you.” He wrapped his fingers around the dents left behind, and ignoring the paralysing pain shooting through his broken hand; he tore the suit away.  
  
Tony doubled over, taking in a deep breath as he was freed from his metal prison. He wasted no time in dragging Peter into a hug.  
  
“Are you okay?” Peter sobbed into his shoulder, though the question seemed stupid.  
  
Tony threaded his shaking fingers through Peter’s unruly hair, “ _No_.” He leaned back, cupping a hand over Peter’s cheek, “You?”  
  
“No.”  
  
Tony flinched, he moved his hand, pressing it against Peter’s forehead,  “You’re freezing, bud.”  
  
“I was out in the cold for quite a while.”  
  
“Your suit has a heater.”  
  
“It does?”  
  
“Yeah, here.” He gently took hold of Peter’s broken hand, Peter bit down on his lip, not wanting to alert him to his pain. Tony activated the holograms, and Peter was suddenly enveloped in warmth, “There you go.”  
  
Peter’s teeth chattered, and he let out a thankful sigh, “That’s great.”  
  
“I’ll reprogram it later to make sure it does that automatically.” Tony squeezed Peter’s hand, which was meant to be a comfort.  
  
Peter screeched and pulled his hand free of his grasp. He bowed his head in his chest, trying to ignore the pain that coursed up his arm.  
  
“Shit, what…” Tony cried, “What was that?” He placed a cautionary hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Bud, you with me?”  
  
“I broke my hand.” Peter cried out.  
  
“How?”  
  
Peter locked eyes with him, “I punched _him_ in the face.”  
  
“Him?” The realisation hit him, “Rogers?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter squeaked weakly.  
“Why--” Tony stuttered, “When?”  
  
“Outside.”  
  
“But you didn’t know what..” Tony shook his head, “You don’t know what happened betwe--”  
  
“He did this to you.” It was a statement, not a question because Peter knew it was true.  
  
“I did this to me,” Tony said, and Peter knew that he actually believed that.  
  
“No, no, no.” Peter snapped assertively, “You wouldn’t fight without reason. _Not like this_. He did something. Something bad. What did he do?”  
  
“Doesn’t matter.”  
  
“He left you here like this.” He cried, “I have to know.”  
  
“He kept something from me.”  
  
“What something?”  
  
Tony locked eyes with him  “...Kid.”  
  
“Please.”  
  
Tony sighed defeated, “My parents didn't die in a car accident. They were killed…” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “By Hydra.”  
  
Peter knew exactly what that meant, “By--by Barnes.” Tony nodded, “And...Steve, he _knew_ this?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“He knew, and he never told you!?”   
  
Tony’s silence was a scream in disguise.   
  
“That’s um…” Peter jumped up, anger gripped him by the neck and took control, he looked around for an exit, a way out.  
  
“Peter, Peter.” Tony scrambled up onto his feet. “Peter, bud, look at me.”  
  
Peter ignored him and rushed over to the ledge that he had entered through.   
  
“No, no.” Tony rushed over, limping as he moved, “Hey, hey.” He wrapped his fingers around Peter’s good wrist, and tugged him away from the edge, “Stop, _stop._ Look at me.”  
  
“How could he do that?!” Peter shouted, venom laced in his words.  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
Peter’s angry collapsed away, only to be replaced by gut-wrenching disappointment, he locked his fingers with Tony’s, “That’s why you attacked them.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“And they attacked you?”  
  
“I was try--”  
  
“No.” Peter shook his head and tightened his grip on Tony’s hand, “If you were trying to kill them, they’d be _dead_.”  
  
Tony let out a heavy sigh, “I wanted to hurt him. Barnes. He killed my Mum, bud. And I know it wasn’t really him, but I saw the footage, and…”  
  
Peter blinked away tears at the realisation that Tony hadn’t only found out his parents had been murdered, he’d watched them die, “He just happened to be in the room.”  
  
Tony tried to speak, but his words died in his throat.  
  
“The driver, the one who killed my parents. I’d--” He yanked Tony’s arm so that his dad looked him in the eye, “This wasn’t you. Steve..”  
  
“I know.” Tony squeaked, and Peter could tell it pained him to admit that perhaps this was not his fault, “I just--I shouldn’t have come. I should have just dropped this, stayed at home with you. None of this…”  
  
“I wanna go home.” For a second, Peter despised how young he sounded, like a child begging to be comforted by a parent. Then, in the next, he realised that’s exactly what he was.  
  
“Me too.” Tony sniffled, “How did you get here?”  
  
“I stole Mark XLVII.” Peter admitted, “It died though.”  
  
“I keep forgetting you can hack Friday.” He nudged Peter’s arm, “Too clever for your own good. A brittle smile crawled on his face,  “By the way, which charity do you want me to give all your Star Wars merch to?”   
  
Peter scoffed mid-sob, “Tell you later.” He looked around, “How do we, um, how do we get home?”  
  
“Your suit has a built-in protocol for this.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“But, if we use it, it sends a direct message to Happy.” Tony explained, “When he gets it, he’ll know the truth about you.”  
  
Peter shrugged, he didn’t even care, not in that moment, “I trust Happy. We need to get home.”  
  
“Okay.” Tony let go of his hand, “Put the mask on.”  
  
Peter walked away and picked up the mask off the ground; he noticed Steve’s shield down close by; he ignored it and turned back. He slipped the mask over his face, “What now?”  
  
“Say ‘activate Far From Home’ protocol.’”  
  
“Activate ‘ _Far From Home_ ’ protocol.” Peter relayed.  
  
_“Protocol activated.”_

* * *

Due to the extent of Tony’s injuries, it took a while for the pair to navigate their way out of the Hydra base. It didn’t matter, they knew it would take a while for help to arrive, and there was no point in rushing out and facing the sub-zero temperatures outside.   
  
Neither of them spoke, there was nothing else to be said. They just clung onto one another for dear life.  
  
They had only been outside for a handful of minutes when they heard the familiar hum of the Stark Jet.  
  
“Peter!” Happy screamed. Peter had never heard the man so scared, and out of his mind, in his entire life. Happy was usually composed and unbelievably calm, “Pete?!”  
  
“We’re here!” Peter echoed back, Tony leaned his weight against a wall, giving Peter the all clear to rush ahead.  
  
“Peter?”  
  
Peter charged around the corner; Happy stood at the bottom of the stairs of the jet, “Uncle Happy!” Peter hurried forward and locked his arms around him.   
  
“Whoa.” Happy cautiously wrapped his arms around Peter’s back, “Hey, Peter, what the hell is going on here?”  
  
“Hey, Hogan.” Tony’s weak voice greeted.  
  
“Tony!?”  
  
Peter stepped away while still clinging onto his Uncle’s arm, “Thanks for coming.”  
  
“Don’t mention it, kid.” Happy told him, his focus snapped onto Tony, who was still using the wall to keep himself upright, “What--”  
  
“Let’s just go home.” Tony interrupted.   
  
Happy nodded, he and Peter rushed forward, both placing an arm around Tony’s back and guiding him up onto the jet.  
  
None of them spoke for a few minutes, apart from slight mumbles and nods. Peter changed out of his Spider-Man costume and came back out in a set of _Star Wars_ pyjamas.   
  
He sat down next to Tony, and after Happy was finishing seeing to Tony’s facial lacerations, he moved over and carefully wrapped Peter’s broken hand in a wrist support.  
  
Peter’s jolted forward, accidentally kicking Happy in the shin, “Sorry.”   
  
“No harm done.” Happy told him, “There you go, all done.”  
  
“Thank you.” Peter moved his arm away, and placed it on the armrest of the chair; he flopped his head back, resting it against Tony’s shoulder.   
  
Happy leaned forward in his chair, “So, you’re a superhero now, too?”  
  
Peter nodded and sniffled, “You didn’t tell Mum, did you?”  
  
“No.” Happy sighed, “But I need to know what is going on…”  
  
“I got bitten by a radioactive spider, and it gave me superpowers.”   
  
Happy’s eyebrows raised, and he frowned, “Oh.”   
  
“You know…” Tony trailed off, “That’s a thing that _actually_ happened.”   
  
“But what happened to you?” Happy asked.  
  
“Steve,” Peter answered, knowing Tony wouldn’t.  
  
“Wait…” Happy waved his hand out in front of him, “Rogers did this? As in Captain America?”  
  
“It’s complicated.” Tony told him, “But Peter wasn’t meant to be here. He followed me.”  
  
“Well, of course, he did.” Happy said, “He’s your kid.”  
  
Tony snorted, and nodded; he laid his chin on top of his son’s head “Yeah.”


	100. Mum's The Word (CW)

Tony was checked into the infirmary at the _Avengers Headquarters_ shortly after landing. Peter clung to his side, refusing to let go, which Tony didn’t mind in the slightest. If anything, he never wanted Peter to leave his side ever again.  
  
They both tucked themselves up in Tony’s bed; they had one of the Star Wars prequels playing in the background, using it to distract themselves from the situation at hand mindlessly.  
  
Friday paused the film just as the doors slid open, and Rhodey rolled through, sat down in a wheelchair, “Hey.” Tony welcomed gently as he brushed his hand through Peter’s hair.  
  
“Wow.” Rhodey wheeled over towards them, “You two look like shit.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes and nodded toward Rhodey, “Right back at you, honey bear.” He mocked, “You should be on your way to Columbia Medical.”  
  
“Wanted to check in first.”  
  
Peter moved so that he was looking in Rhodey’s direction; he offered his uncle a warm smile, “How are you?”  
  
“I’m doing…okay.” Rhodey said, “I’m trying my best, Pete.” He shifted his focus to Tony, “Tones, Capt--”  
  
“Not right now.” Tony interjected, “I don’t--I don’t wanna talk about it.”  
  
Rhodey let out a long sigh, he placed his hand under his chin, “I have a lot to say.”  
  
“I don’t doubt it.” Tony shrugged.  
  
Rhodey’s eyes clocked Peter’s wrist, “What happened to your hand, Pete?”  
  
Peter squirmed nervously, “Ugh, I-I um, tripped--”  
  
“No, you didn’t.” Rhodey said, trying to stop himself from laughing, “You’re the Spider-Dude.”  
  
Tony shook his head and let out a knowing chuckle, while Peter bolted upright and started to stumble out intangible sentences, “Wait...what--”  
  
Rhodey snorted, “Kinda obvious, Pete. Your voice sounded different, but it was obviously you.”  
  
Peter relaxed back in Tony’s grasp, “Oh…”  
  
Rhodey’s smile faded, and he dotted his eyes between the pair, “So, what the hell were you two thinking?”  
  
Peter shrugged, “I kept this from Dad for a while too.”  
  
Rhodey’s eyebrows knitted together, “Um, I’m not following.”  
  
Peter groaned, bored of explaining his origin story, “A spider bit me, and I have superpowers now.”  
  
“That..” Rhodey narrowed his eyes, “Okay, that’s not what I expected. What can you do?”  
  
Peter’s face lit up at that question, he’d been asked how he got his powers multiple times, but he’d never had the chance to really explain what he could do, “I have superhuman strength, speed...and all my senses are like dialled to eleven, so I hear and see things you can’t.” He held up his broken hand, “I heal really fast too. This will be fine by tomorrow.”  
  
“Right....” Rhodey pointed over to Peter’s wrist, “And how did that happen?”  
  
“I punched Steve in the face.”  
  
Rhodey grinned, somewhat proudly, “Good one.” He praised, Tony rolled his eyes, “I kinda wanted to be the one who did that though. So, who else knows about...your powers?”  
  
“Nat, Happy…” Peter listed, “...And Steve.”  
  
Tony jolted at the sound of Steve’s name, “...He knows?”  
  
Peter looked up at him, guilt swimming in his eyes, “I--He was treating me like an...idiot. So...um, I took my mask off.”  
  
“You took it off to…” Rhodey trailed off, “Prove him wrong?”  
  
Peter shrugged, “Kinda.”  
  
Rhodey widened his eyes and looked to Tony; he didn’t even need to say what he was thinking. Tony could hear the ‘he’s so your kid’ just by looking into his friend’s eyes.   
  
“So…” Rhodey started, “Are you planning on telling Pepper?”  
  
“Not yet.” Peter said quickly, “I can’t do this to her right now. She’ll freak out, I’ll freak out, and then Dad will---”  
  
“Okay, Pete, I get it.” Rhodey said, “But, the longer you wait, the harder it’s gonna be.”  
  
“I know.” Peter said quietly, “I will do it.”  
  
“I’ve gotta get going.” Rhodey sighed, “You two need to get some sleep.”   
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Okay, _Dad._ ”   
  
Rhodey left singing his goodbyes to the pair before the door closed behind him.  
  
Peter leaned his head against Tony's chest, “Um, Dad?”  
  
“Yeah, bud?”    
  
“About me telling Mum, can we, can I have until Christmas?” Peter asked, “That’s, what, five months?”  
  
“Okay.” Tony agreed, “But that’s your deadline.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Suddenly, Peter doubled over in complete hysterics. Laughing until tears streamed down his cheeks, Tony chuckled as a by-product, but he was confused.   
  
“What you laughing about?” Tony asked.  
  
“School.”  
  
Tony frowned, “School?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter held out his hand, “I mean it’s funny. I have to go back and act like nothing’s changed. I’m gonna get so many questions.”  
  
“Well, you’ve got Ned.”  
  
Peter let out an exasperated sigh, “Come on, Dad. He’ll be the one with the most questions.”  
  
“True.”  
  
Peter’s burst of laughter came to a holt, “I’ll try and hang out with Michelle if she lets me. She’s like..she takes no shit. She won’t ask me anything. I wish everyone could be like that.”  
  
“Yeah.”   
  
Peter moved closer into the comfort of his dad’s side; Tony moved his arm draping around Peter’s shoulders, “I wish this never happened.”  
  
Tony closed his eyes, and let out a defeated breath, “Me too, bud. I’m glad I know your secret, though.”  
  
“It feels good to be able to talk about it.” Peter admitted, “It just shouldn’t have been...like this.”   
  
“Yeah.” Tony trailed off, “So, what’s your plan?”  
  
“For Spider-Man? I gotta keep going.” Peter told him, “The world just lost... most of their heroes, people they trusted. They need...hope.”  
  
“Like a Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man?”   
  
“Exactly.”

* * *

Tony and Peter were in the middle of a _heated_ argument about the theory of Jar-Jar Binks being a Sith Lord, when the door clicked open for the second time.  
  
This time it wasn’t Rhodey, it was Pepper.  
  
Peter’s face lit up, and his sentence died before it was finished. He bolted away from Tony’s side and met his mum in an embrace.  
  
“Oh.” Pepper yelped surprised, “Hey, sweetheart.”  
  
Tony watched Pepper’s face soften as soon as she wrapped her arms around their son.   
  
All the tension of faded away as she looked over at Tony and smiled warmly. He nodded and mirrored her affection.  
  
Pepper carefully leaned back; her eyes widened in horror when she noticed the support holding Peter’s hand, “What happened to your hand?”  
  
“An incident with a flight of stairs,” Tony answered, noticing how alarmed Peter was by the question; Peter was many things, he had not a particularly good liar.  
  
“I wasn’t paying attention.” Peter shrugged.  
  
“Ah.” Pepper gently placed her fingers under his chin and propped his head up, “Maybe it’s because you stopped wearing your glasses.”  
  
“No. I wear contacts. I’m just…”  
  
Tony clicked his fingers and pointed at him, “Clumsy.”   
  
Peter let out a nervous chuckle, “Yeah, clumsy, that’s what I am.”   
  
Pepper prodded his nose and then turned her focus to Tony. As she studied him, Peter moved away and sat back down by Tony’s side.  
  
“Hey, Pep,” Tony said softly.  
  
“Hey.” She spoke quietly, as she studied the injuries covering his face, “Um, wow….. “ She snapped back to reality, “Sorry.”  
  
“It’s fine.”  
  
She gestured to him, “So..he...Roge-”  
  
“Let’s not.”    
  
Pepper tilted his head into her shoulder, “Tony…”  
  
“It happened.” Tony told her, “ It’s over.  There’s no point in...dragging it out.”  
  
She frowned, “It’s over?”  
  
“Yeah.” He nodded, “Over.”  
  
“And all your distractions?”  
  
“In Storage.” Tony gestured back, “For emergency use only.” He nudged Peter’s shoulder, “Peter and I are still gonna experiment with nanotechnology, but that’s just…”  
  
“For Fun.” Peter finished.  
  
Tony snorted, “Yeah. _Fun_.”   
  
  
Pepper shook her head as she tried to wrap her head around what Tony was saying, “You’re...you’re…”  
  
“I’m _still_ Iron Man.” Tony proclaimed, “Always will be. Just not in the way I was. I can’t be after--”  
  
“I get it.” Pepper said, “I..I get it.” She darted her eyes over to Peter, “Oh _honey_ , are you okay?”  
  
Tony turned around, and his heart fluttered when he saw Peter.  
  
Peter was crying. It was the silent type. The kind where when you start and feel like you’ll never stop. Tony had seen his son cry before, but not like this, not in a long time. His shoulders were trembling, and Tony was surprised that he hadn’t felt the movement on the bed until he looked at him.   
  
“Hey, bud.” Tony said hesitantly, wrapping an arm around Peter’s shoulder and pulling him close, “What’s wrong?”  
  
“I missed you.” Peter sat through a half-sob, half-laugh, he dotted his eyes between his parents, “Both of you.”   
  
Tony’s looked over at Pepper, who placed a hand on her chest, and blinked away tears, “Well, you’re back, sweetheart.” She managed to cry out.  
  
“Are you--”  
  
“Yeah, I’m gonna move back in.”  
  
Her words didn’t stop Peter from crying. He started bawling. He tried to speak, but nothing he said made sense through his sobs. His cheeks blushed red, and he buried his face in Tony’s chest, hiding away.  
  
“Hey.” Tony rubbed his arm, “It’s okay.” He looked up to Pepper, “Are you sure?”  
  
“Yeah. I’m sure.”  
  
Tony cleared his throat, “Good, yeah. _Nice_.”  
  
Pepper circled the bed, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder. He turned to look at her,  “Come on, then. Budge up.” She told him.  
  
He let out a startled laugh as Tony shuffled over, pulling Peter along with him. Pepper squeezed next to Peter and wrapped an arm around him.  
  
Tony chuckled, “Well, this is cosy.”  
  
“Dad?” Peter hiccuped.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be regular.
> 
> Of course, Homecoming is up next!
> 
> feel free to come and shout with me on tumblr at i-am-irondad


	101. Partners In Crime (HC)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response so far as been amazing! I cannot thank anyone enough for their comments, and support. This fanfiction has been a journey, and I'm so glad you are all enjoying it so far!
> 
> I will be uploading four new chapters a week, two on Tuesdays and two on Thursdays!

**TWO MONTHS LATER (September 2016)**

Tony had been terrified by the idea of Peter being a superhero, and to a certain extent, he still was. He always would be. He was his father, he was always paranoid. He was a _little_ overprotective, even when it came down to something as simple as crossing the road together. He was scared, but he was _also_ tremendously proud. There were no words to explain the flutter in his chest when Peter rambled on every night about what he did on patrol.   
  
Tony realised that his son enjoyed being Spider-Man more than he had ever enjoyed being Iron Man. _They were different_. The Avengers threw themselves into life-threatening battles with high stakes, and no promise of seeing tomorrow. Peter threw himself into stopping car thieves, walking the elderly over the road, and saving cats from trees.  
  
Tony’s mind did often turn to Pepper’s reaction, and that fear was truly unbridled. He wished Peter would get it over and done with, like ripping off a bandage.   
  
Tony’s train of thought was cut off but the sound of the doorbell. He jumped off the couch and skipped towards the door, “Fri, who is it?”  
  
_“It’s Edward Leeds.”_  
  
“Edward?” Tony hummed for a few seconds as he approached the door, “Oh.” He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, “Ned! You mean Ned.”  
  
“ _Yes, boss.”_  
  
“Ahh, okay.” Tony frowned; Ned never came around without a warning, he only lived fifteen minutes down the road so he usually called ahead. Tony opened the door, “Evening, Ned.”  
  
Ned was awkwardly stood, wearing his usual goofy grin, clutching onto a semi-completed _Lego Death Star_ , “Hello, Mr. Stark!”.  
  
“Come on, get in.” Tony said gesturing his head back, Ned hurried in, “And how many times?” He closed the door, “It’s _Tony_.”   
  
“Oh right, sorry, Mr--” Ned stuttered, “Tony.”   
  
“So Ned…” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, and eyeballed the _Death Star,_ “You planning to take down the empire?”  
  
Ned snorted a laugh, “Actually, I’m kinda building it.”  
  
“Oh.” Tony chuckled, “You’re on the dark side?” Tony knew that if Peter was there, he would be scolding him for being embarrassing.   
  
Ned was too polite to say anything without his partner in crime, which made the conversation ten times funnier for Tony because he could see the cogs turning in Ned’s head, and the teen’s desperation to escape the small talk.   
  
“….I guess.” Ned managed, “Um, Peter said I could come over and we’d finish it together.”  
  
“He did, did he?” Tony bounced his eyebrows up, “Well, he’s not back yet.”  
  
“Where is he?”  
  
Tony’s heart dropped as he tried to remember the excuse that Peter had made up to cover up his secret, “Um, you know the--”  
  
“The internship?”  
  
Tony silently celebrated to himself for the reminder, he clicked his fingers and pointed at Ned, “ _Yes._ The internship.”  
  
“It sounds so cool!” Ned said,  “I’d love to work for you one day.”  
  
“You’d be working for Pepper but sure.” Tony shrugged, “We’d be happy to have you.”  
  
“That’s the best thing that anyone has ever said to me.” Ned said, in a state of utter disbelief, and Tony knew he was being genuine, “I didn’t know you did high school internships though.”  
  
“We don’t.” Tony blurted, “Um, but Pete's just learning about how things work for when he inherits his share of the company. It’s all up to him what he does when he gets there.”  
  
“He enjoys it.”  
  
“He does?”  
  
“Yeah, he quit Decathlon today.”  
  
“Oh.” Tony wasn’t sure what to think about that. He never wanted Spider-Man to take over Peter’s social life, he made a mental note to ask Peter about it later, “Hey look, I’ll give him a call. You can wait up in his room.”  
  
“Thanks, Tony!” Ned hurried up the stairs before anything else could be said.  
  
Tony waited until he heard Peter’s bedroom door click shut, before turning around on his heel, “Friday, can you patch me through to Spider-Man please?”  
  
_“Of course, boss.”_  
  
It cut through immediately, “Hey, bud!”  
  
“ _Oh, hey Dad!_ ” Peter’s exuberance still managed to shine, even though his laboured breaths. He’d obviously had a productive night.   
  
Tony let out a small laugh, “You on your way back? I’m thinking about dinner.”  
  
_“Yeah, yeah! I’ll head back now.”_  
  
“Bye!” Tony sang, “End call.” He spent the next few minutes thinking about what to have for dinner; Pepper was busy at the office, and would likely be eating while she worked.  
  
He had just settled on ordering pizza, when his thoughts were once again cut off, by an unexpected sound.   
  
This time, it was a loud crash coming from above him.  
  
He rushed up the stairs, “Ned!” He charged across the landing towards Peter’s bedroom, “Are you--” His words died in his throat when he pushed the door open and realised what had happened.  
  
Peter stood in the centre of his room, still in his costume, apart from his mask. His arms were held out towards Ned, and he was trembling in horror. Tony couldn’t see his face because his back was turned to him, but he could imagine his expression.  
  
Ned was hovering in the front of Peter’s bed, with his jaw dropped, he looked like he was about to scream in joy, or faint from shock. His Death Star was shattered around his feet, and his hands were still out in front of him from when he had dropped it.  
  
“Ned!” Peter exclaimed; he turned back to Tony, his eyes searching for some help. Tony held his hands out and shrugged, _he had nothing_. Peter rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to his friend, “Ned, you--”  
  
“You’re the Spider-Man.” Ned said breathlessly, “From YouTube.”  
  
“I’m not. I’m not.” Peter blurted, he pressed down on the spider emblem, and the suit collapsed down onto the ground, leaving him in his boxers.  
  
Tony placed his fist over his lips, trying his best not to break down in a fit of laughter at Peter’s attempt to cover up his identity   
  
“You were on the ceiling!” Ned pointed up.  
  
“No, I wasn’t.” Peter argued, Tony let out an uncontrolled snort, his son glared at him, “Ned, what are you doing in my room?”  
  
Ned gestured over to Tony, who absentmindedly put his hands up in a fake surrender, “Your dad let me in. You said we were gonna finish the Death Star!”  
  
“You can’t just bust into my room!”  
  
“Okay, okay, okay.” Tony interrupted, he pulled Peter’s jumper off his desk chair, and steadily walked over, “Let’s take a second, hey?”   
  
Peter took the jumper off him with a shaking hand; he quickly changed into it, he reclined his head, and let out a shaky breath, avoiding eye contact with the pair.  
  
“This is my fault.” Tony said, tapping Peter’s shoulder,  “I should have told you he was here.”  
  
“No shit.” Peter shrugged him off and paced away, he folded his arms and bowed his head into his chest.  
  
“Sorry, kid.” Tony eased, “I didn’t realise you were gonna climb in through the window.”  
  
“I lost my backpack.”  
  
“Again?” Tony raised his eyebrows, “This is why I told you to get ready here first.”  
  
“You know?!" Ned shouted, pulling their attention back.  
  
“Yes, Ned, I know.” Tony pointed down the Spider-Man suit on the ground, “I made his suit.”  
  
“You made that?!”  
  
Tony grinned at Ned’s excitement, “Yes.”  
  
“Shut up!” Peter cried, his voice unexpectedly high-pitched, “Um, is Mum home?” He asked, in a hushed tone.  
  
“No, don’t worry, you’re okay,” Tony said through a nervous laugh.  
  
“She doesn’t know?!” Ned erupted.  
  
“No!” Peter charged over, and stood in front of Ned, “She--”  
  
“Are you an Avenger?” Ned interrupted.    
  
“No,” Tony said quickly.  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, while he nodded, “Yes.”  
  
Tony laughed humorlessly, “No.”  
  
Peter held out his hand, and waved it haphazardly at Tony,  “Kinda.”   
  
“No,” Tony mumbled under his breath.  
  
“Ned, look, you can’t tell anybody about this.” Peter pleaded, “You gotta keep it a secret.”  
  
“A secret?” Ned whined, “Why?”  
  
“If my Mum finds out she won’t let me do this, and I have to do this,” Peter explained. “Come on, Ned, please.”  
  
“Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.” Ned stuttered, shaking his head, “I’ll level with you. I don’t think I can keep this a secret. This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, Peter!”  
  
“Ned, please, no one can know right now!” Peter’s voice shook, and the colour drained from his cheeks.  
  
Tony moved in closer, ready to step in if this became too much for Peter. It was a sickeningly reality, but he had become accustomed to helping his son through panic attacks.  
  
“Not my mum, no one at school. We just had the whole _Accords_ thing, you know?”  Peter’s voice cracked. “Everything that just happened with us…”  
  
“Okay,” Ned said, softly.  
  
“Just swear it, okay?” Peter begged.  
  
“I swear.”  
  
“Thank you.” Peter swept a hand through his hair, and stepped aside, “I can’t believe this is happening right now.”  
  
“Can I try the suit on?” Ned asked following behind Peter like a lost puppy.  
  
“No.”  
  
“How does it work? Is it magnets? How do you shoot the strings?” Ned asked, trying to get as many questions out as he could, Peter pushed on his shoulder, guiding him towards the door.  
  
“I’m gonna tell you about this at school tomorrow, okay?”  
  
“Great. Okay, well, wait, then.” Ned crossed into the landing, he turned back, “How do you do this and the whole internship thingy?”  
  
“This is the internship.”   
  
Ned let out a slight gasp, and nodded,  “Oh.”  
  
“Just get out of here.” Peter pushed him out, and slammed the door behind him, “Shit.” He clumsily stumbled over and pressed his forehead against Tony’s shoulder as he let out a muffled scream.  
  
Tony rested his chin over Peter’s hair, he wrapped an arm around him, “It’s not that bad.”   
  
“Yes, it is.”   
  
“Come on…” Tony patted his back playfully, “It’s only Ned.”  
  
“That’s the problem.”   
  
Tony pushed back, and squeezed Peter’s arm, “It will be okay.” He smiled, “Now, get dressed, we can talk about this over some pizza, hey?”  
  
“Yeah, okay, I guess. Let’s do that.”


	102. You're Too Young To Be Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'Elijah' by Matthew and the Atlas. (Shoutout to afangirlwashere on tumblr who sent me this song while I was writing this!)

If it were plausible, Tony would be able to cut the tension over the dinner table with a knife.  _Peter didn’t say a word._ He just stared blankly at the wall as he ate his pizza. He didn’t seem to actually enjoy it, considering he was eating slice after slice without even taking the time to breathe.  His mind was elsewhere after what had conspired with Ned.   
  
He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and for the first time, Tony had no idea how to help shift it.  
  
Tony let the silence loom over them until it became too much. He cleared his throat, and wiped a napkin over his face, “So bud, what did Spider-Man get up today?”  
  
Peter flinched at the question, and dropped his half-eaten slice down on his plate, “Um. You know? The _usual_.” He let a bored sigh, “I stopped a bicycle theft, I couldn’t find the owner, so I just left a note. And I helped this lost, old Dominican lady. She was really nice and she bought me a churro.”  
  
Tony grinned proudly, “Sounds like a productive evening.” He clapped his hands together, and he slouched forward, “You wanna talk about the ATM robbery?”  
  
Peter reclined in his chair and let out a long defeated breath; Tony had found out about it while they were waiting for the pizza, but he had been waiting for the right time to drop it on him.   
  
“Huh?” Peter picked up his slice and played with it, trying to avoid the talk.  
  
“The one that destroyed Delmar's Deli-Grocery?”   
  
Peter nodded and widened his eyes, “Oh that.”   
  
“You okay?” Tony asked.  
  
“Yeah, I’m good. It was insane.” A small smile crawled onto his face, “But did you see those high tech weapons? They were _crazy._ ”  
  
Tony leaned his chin on his hands and nodded. He didn’t want to ruin Peter’s sudden change in mood, but it needed to be said sooner rather than later, “I did see them, and they are way too dangerous for you to be handling.”  
  
“Oh, come on, Dad!” Peter shouted, “I’m ready for more.”  
  
“Baby steps, okay?” Tony said, “You’re doing so well. The city loves you at the moment.”  
  
“I guess.”  
  
Tony sighed, he nudged Peter’s leg with his foot, “I’m not trying to ruin this for you, okay? I don’t want you doing anything big yet. I’m not here next week, and Happy is way too busy moving everything out of the tower. Rhodey is on duty, and your mum still doesn’t know yet.”  
  
“I get it.” Peter shrugged, “And you’re not here next week?”  
  
“Remember, the wedding?”   
  
“Oh yeah. The one in India, right?”  
  
“Yep, in Goa.”   
  
“Is the wedding…” Peter trailed off, “It is a cover-up?”  
  
Tony frowned, but his face softened at the look of fear reflected in Peter’s eyes, “What do you mean, bud?”  
  
“You’re--” Peter’s breath hitched, and he leaned back, “You’re looking for Uncle Bruce, aren’t you?  
  
“Maybe,” Tony said softly. It was _true_ , he felt like he had searched everywhere for their lost friend, and there was nothing. There was no sign of Bruce anywhere, dead or alive. Tony was not hopeful, but he knew Bruce was good at hiding when he didn’t want to be found, “I’m killing two birds with one stone.”  
  
“I get it.” Peter sniffled, “I hope you find him.”

“Yeah.” Tony nodded, “...Pete, what you said to Ned about the Accords…”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Peter rushed, “I know--”  
  
“Don’t apologise.” Tony told him, “I know a lot has changed recently, that’s an understatement, actually. Everything is different now. I know you love being Spider-Man. It’s great, _really,_ you’re a natural, but I don’t want it to become a shield. Something you do to hide. If something is bothering you, I want you to tell me. Never hold back.”  
  
Tony wished someone had told him this when became _Iron Man_ , a suit of armour that he hid behind. A mask to cover all his insecurities, and anxieties.   
  
He would support Peter being Spider-Man to the ends of the earth because he understood that it was part of him, but he would not let his son hide behind the mask. Not like he did. He knew how damaging it was.   
  
Peter scraped his teeth over his lower lip, “Okay.” He leaned closer, “I just miss how things were. I get the Accords, and why we have them, but nothing is the same anymore. I miss Auntie Nat and Wanda. I wanna know if they’re okay, but we can’t know, ‘cause they can’t contact us.”  
  
“I know, it sucks, kid.” Tony sighed, “And if there was something I could do about it, I would.” Peter blinked away tears, and shook his head, trying to ground himself, “Pete?”  
  
“It feels like...when you went missing.” Peter admitted; Tony’s heart leapt up into his throat at the proclamation, “They’re gone, and we don’t even know where they are. Or if they’re safe.”  
  
“Bud.” Tony lay his hand on Peter’s, “I could use the phone. The one Steve left me if you want to know, I could--”  
  
“No, no.” Peter’s voice wavered, “ _Don’t_. That’s for emergencies only. Like end of the world stuff. I don’t want you to get into trouble.” He looked down, “And...Steve's not the one I’m worried about.”

Tony sighed and squeezed Peter’s hand tightly. Peter didn’t hate people, it wasn’t in his nature, but he couldn’t forgive Steve either. Tony had no idea what happened between Steve and Peter in Siberia, but he knew it was tough. _For both of them._  
  
Along with the phone that Steve left behind, he left a letter. He mentioned Peter, and how sorry he was, but the damage was already done.   
  
Most of Peter’s nightmares, the ones where he cried out, and Tony had to console him, were indirectly about Steve. About the truth he concealed, and the state Tony was left in.  
  
“Hey.” Tony leaned over the table, and nudged Peter’s chin, trying his best to calm the situation down, “Your Auntie Nat has an act of being in places she shouldn’t be, I bet she’ll turn up somewhere.”  
  
Peter chuckled through a shaky breath, he wiped his tears away with the back of his sleeve, “I hope so.”   
  
“Yeah, I hope so too.” 


	103. Fear of The Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'Fear Of The Water' by SYML
> 
> Technically it's Friday where I am, but for most of my readers it's probably still Thursday, so I'll count this as a win.

Tony walked around the wedding, never standing in one place for too long. He didn’t want to be swarmed by too many guests or bombarded with countless questions.  
  
He hadn’t slept a wink on the journey there, and his mind was elsewhere. This was the first time had left Peter alone since he took on the role of Spider-Man. Tony trusted him, but at the same time, he was in a constant state of anxiety.   
  
Tony had two notable pet hates.   
  
The first he was known for, was his dislike of being handed things, he didn’t know where it came from, it was just part of who he was.   
  
The second was difficult to live with. Tony  _hated_  being away from Peter and Pepper, every time he left them behind, he would instantly be transported back to the cave in Afghanistan.  
  
He was glad that Peter had outgrown this particular anxiety, and was also too preoccupied with his new role as  _Queens Web-Slinger_ to feel the fear that consumed Tony.   
  
Tony leaned his back on a pillar, and let out a slow breath, trying to ground himself. He tried to concentrate on why he was there; attend a wedding, and look for Bruce, but his mind kept slipping away, back to the damned cave.  
  
He was pulled back to reality when his phone pinged. He took it out of his top pocket and held it out, it was photo sent by Pepper.   
  
It was of her, Peter and Ned, all sat together in Pepper’s car.  
  
Pepper was in the driver’s seat, smiling ear-to-ear; Ned was in the back, leaning into the frame, wearing a goofy grin, and sporting an excellent choice of hat. Peter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, did not look particularly happy; he was smiling, but there was an uneasiness to it.   
  
Tony snorted a laugh as he wrote back:

 **Tony 08:41:** Wow! You having fun without me? Pete looks thrilled.

 **Pep 08:42:**  He was a little jumpy about the whole thing. I just dropped them off at a house party.  
  
Tony frowned, and the unexpected weight of envy dropped on his shoulders: 

  
**Tony 08:43:**  ...a house party! They’re at a house party!  
**Tony 08:43:**  This is unfair!

 **Pep 08:44:**  Unfair?

 

 **Tony 08:44:**  I wanted to be the one to take him to his first house party!  
**Tony 08:44:** I had a speech planned.

 **Pep 08:45:** You’re embarrassing.

 **Tony 08:45:**  Exactly! 

He placed his hand on his stomach as he chuckled to himself, easily amused by his own antics. He couldn’t pass the chance to embarrass his son, he quickly texted him:

 **Tony 08:46:**  House party, eh? Remember your manners.

He quietly cackled, trying his best not to draw attention to himself, but he couldn’t help but giggle.

 **Peter 08:47:**  I hate you 😠  
  
Tony bit down on his lip, concealing a howl, he cleared his throat with a cough and composed a message back:

  
**Tony 08:47:**  Love you too! 

He silenced his phone and hid it away, knowing fully well if he didn’t, he would break down in a fit of laughter. 

* * *

Tony filled the next half an hour with a casual conversation with a few people. Texting Pepper and Peter had somehow numbed his anxiety, and he was able to relax for a short while.

That freedom disappeared when Friday flashed up on the display of his sunglasses. He had only worn them as an accessory, and Friday was turned off for the event; she was set to only turn on in an emergency situation.   
  
Tony hurried away from the commotion, “Friday, what’s wrong?  
  
“ _Spider-Man’s parachute has been deployed and he seems to be in a state of distress.”_ She displayed Peter’s current whereabouts but Tony was too overwhelmed by the news to concentrate on the visual.

“What, how?” He blurted breathlessly, “He was at a party.” He let go of his confusion, but it was soon replaced by utter panic, “What kind of distress?  
  
_“It seems that he has become entangled in the chute, and he is about to fall into a body of water.”_  
  
“For fu--” Tony's breath hitched, Peter had been at a house party, and for the first time in a long time, he was acting like an average day-to-day teenager.  _What had changed so drastically in less than half an hour?_  
  
Tony had too many unanswerable questions, and not enough time to think.   
  
“Deploy Mark XLVII now…” He barked, “Now!”  
  
_“On it, boss!”_  
  
Tony absentmindedly bounced his foot as he waited for his suit to reach his son, “Connect me through to the suit as soon as Peter’s safe.” He started to think that his constant anxiety of leaving Peter and Pepper behind while he travelled was completely justified, “Come on, come on, come on.”  
  
_“Spider-Man is safe now, boss.”_  Friday confirmed, " _He has suffered no substantial injuries.”_  
  
“Oh, thank God.” Tony placed a hand on his chest and tried his best to calm his breathing.

Friday connected him through to Mark XLVII’s audio and visual link, Tony was greeted by the sight of New York’s night sky, and Peter's back, his son was being held up by the armour.   
  
“ _Huh_?” Peter squeaked, he turned his head back, “ _Oh, hey_.”  
  
“Hey, bud,” Tony said, putting up his strong persona, for Peter’s sake.  
  
No more words were said as the suit flew Peter over the city, looking for a safe spot to land. If Tony knew his son, and he did, Peter didn’t seem phased by the fact that he had almost drowned, but more by the embarrassment of being saved by his dad.   
  
_He’s such a teenager_ , Tony thought. Yes, Peter had just been dropped into a lake while being a superhero, but he was acting like a teen who had just been caught underage drinking by his dad at a house party.  
  
The suit descended and placed Peter down on a jungle gym, in an empty playground. Tony scanned the area making sure no one would catch them.  
  
“There’s no one within a two-mile radius kid, you can take the mask off.”  
  
Peter pulled it off, revealing his pale face and damp hair, “Thanks, Dad.” He held out the mask and squeezed out the excess water.  
  
“So..” Tony started, “What happened?”  
  
“Ugh, you would not believe!” Peter exclaimed, “I saw this explosion, and these guys were like selling those high tech weapons from the ATM robbery thingy.”   
  
Tony frowned, he had already harassed the FBI about that,  _why was Peter the one who kept getting caught up in it?_  He wasn’t ready for something like this, not in Tony’s eyes.  
  
“I almost had them!” Peter said, a little too excited; only Peter could almost drown, and still be his usual hyper self a few minutes later, “I was hanging onto their van, then that bird-guy thing turned up.”  
  
“Bird guy?”  
  
“Like a Vulture.” Peter shrugged, “He had wings and creepy green eyes.”  
  
Tony shook his head,  _the bad guys aren’t even trying anymore._  
  
Peter held out his arm to amplify his telling of the night’s events, “And then he just, he just, like, swooped down like a monster and he picked me up and, uh, he took me up, like, a thousand feet and just dropped me.” He hesitated for a few seconds, “How’d you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?”  
  
“I put everything in your suit.” Tony informed him, which was true to an extent, “Remember the heater?”  
  
Steam started to rise from Peter's suit, and he slumped forward, sighing out in relief as his teeth chattered, “Oh yeah, Whoa! Whew, that’s better. Thanks.”  
  
Tony stopped himself from getting caught up in Peter’s giddy attitude to what had happened, “What were you thinking?” He asked sternly.   
  
“The guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons.” Peter explained, “I gotta take him down.”  
  
“Take him down now, huh?” Tony teased, “Steady, Crockett, there are people who handle this sort of thing.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
Tony sighed as he tried to think of a way to answer, he noticed a server passing around drinks, he held out his hand to signal him,  “I’ll figure that out.” He said to Peter, he definitely would be on the phone to the FBI again after this.  
  
Peter’s eyebrows knitted together, and he shook his head, “How did you get all the way out of here so fast? Aren’t you in Goa?”  
  
“Oh, I’m not here.” Tony answered, dropping the face flap to reveal the empty suit, “Thank God this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now.” He mocked; “Thank Ganesh while you’re at it.” The server handed Tony his drink, “Cheers.”   
  
Tony started to walk, he was now talking to Peter, while also simultaneously trying to be a well-mannered guest ( _all while trying to hide Peter's secret identity_ ,) “Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Why?” Tony erupted, “Because I said so!” He stopped abruptly as a young woman walked towards him holding onto a mala, “Sorry, I’m talking to my teenager.” He bowed down and she slipped it over his neck.  
  
He waited until she was out of earshot.  
  
“Stay close to the ground. Build up your game helping little people, like that lady that bought you the churro.” He leaned his hand against a pillar and sipped his drink, “Can’t you just be a friendly... neighbourhood Spider-Man?”   
  
“But I’m ready for more than that now.” Peter pleaded.  
  
“No, you are not.” Tony scolded, he closed the face flap.  
  
Peter held out his arm back, “That is not what you thought when I took on Steve!”   
  
“Trust me, kid.” Tony said softly, knowing the fight in Leipzig and Siberia was not something Peter would bring up lightly, “If Cap wanted to lay you out, he would’ve. Listen to me. I’ll try my best and deal with this when I get home, okay?”  
  
Peter sighed defeated, “Okay.”  
  
Tony jumped into his car, and fired up the engine, ready to get onto the road.   
  
“Are you driving?” Peter asked.  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Go back and be a normal teenager for the night, would you?” He teased, “Please, for me.”   
  
Peter nodded and shrugged, “I’ll try.”  
  
“Don’t do anything I would do…” Tony told him, “And definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”  
  
Peter’s scrunched up his face in utter confusion, “Wait--ugh, fine.”  
  
“Text me when you get home tonight.”   
  
The panic of almost losing his son slowly crept up on him at that moment. He had just been running on adrenaline, and that had faded away only to be replaced by cripplingly fear instead. The thought alone was sickening, and he couldn’t let himself think about it. _The possibility of losing Peter._

He could never let that happen. If Peter died, he did too. _It was that simple._

“I will.” Peter promised, “See you soon.”  
  
“Yeah. Love you, bud.” Tony sang, “End call.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you hear that? It's the events of Infinity War getting closer.


	104. The View From The Sidelines

After Tony returned home, Peter went back to his usual _mischief_ ; saving cats from trees, and giving people directions, which to Tony was a better way for Peter to find his feet in the superhero world, rather than taking on a group of highly-skilled arms dealers.   
  
“Morning Dad!” Peter burst into the kitchen, too high-spirited for such an early hour, “Dad, Dad..” He kept singing in his tell-tale tone, the voice he used when he wanted something.  
  
Tony buried his face in his hands and groaned, he sat at the breakfast bar, still in his pyjamas, and only on his third cup of coffee. Peter kept chanting, louder the longer he waited for a response.   
  
_Are all teenagers like this?_ Tony thought.  
  
The answer is, of course,  _yes_. Ned was the same, and so was Harley, whenever he popped around. _God_ , Tony prayed that he’d never have to be stuck in the same room with all three of them, that was his worst nightmare.  
  
“Dad!” Peter started prodding Tony’s shoulder continuously.  
  
Tony let out a long nasal exhale, and made no effort to look up, “You have reached the life model decoy of Dad. Please go away.”   
  
Peter kept poking him, “This is important.”   
  
Tony reclined his head, and adjusted to the light in the room; Peter was leant over him, grinning, “Why are you so spritely? It’s half seven.”  
  
Peter slammed a sheet of paper and pen down in front of him,  “Can you sign this?”  
  
“Kid, I haven’t even had my fourth cup of coffee yet.” He groaned, Peter tilted his head into his shoulder and smiled; Tony knew that move, and even after fourteen years, it still worked, “Let me see.” Tony pulled the piece of paper closer and scanned it. His eyebrows knitted together when he realised what it was; it was a permission slip for the Decathlon in Washington,  “Wait. wait, wait.” He stuttered, “I um, I thought you quit the team.”  
  
“I did.” Peter shrugged, “But the team have been texting me non-stop all night, they need me. I have to go.”  
  
Tony bounced his eyebrows up, the team must need him urgently if they only gave him a few hours warning to pack and prepare for a four-hour journey, “Umm, but this is for today. You would leave today.”  
  
“I know it’s short notice but I don’t wanna let them down.” Peter admitted, “And I already packed.”   
  
“Okay…” Tony wasn’t sure if he wanted Peter to be away so shortly after what happened while he was in India, but he could tell that his son was not going to take _no_ for an answer. And Washington wasn’t too far away, “If you’re sure.”  
  
Peter jumped up, “Thank you, thank-”  
  
Tony held up his hand and shook his head, “Shush. Still too early.” He signed across the line, “How many days is it?”  
  
“Three.” Peter told him, “You have to pick me up from school.”  
  
“Okay, sounds fun, I guess I’ll see you then.” Tony smiled, “You got everything?”  
  
“I think so.” Peter tapped his rucksack and nodded.  
  
A thought crossed Tony’s mind because he knew Peter too well, and he knew for a fact that he would not be able to take a break from being Spider-Man, “You packed your suit?”   
  
“Yeah.” Peter confirmed, he held out his arms in front of him, “New York isn’t the only state with crime.”  
  
Tony snorted, _the kid had a point_ , “Well, be careful and-”  
  
“I know…” Peter mocked, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do.”    
  
“Or anything I would do.” Tony winked, he held out his index and middle finger and showed a tiny gap between the pair, “There's a little grey area in there, and that's where you operate.”  
  
Peter narrowed his eyes, “Okay…”  
  
“Alright, bud, here you go.” He slid back the sheet, Peter picked it up, and quickly put it in his bag.  
  
“You’re the best!” Peter exclaimed before throwing his arms around his dad.  
  
“Ah, I know.” Tony mused, he tapped Peter’s arm, “Do you need a lift to school?”  
  
“Nah.” Peter stepped back, “I like getting the train.”  
  
“Fine.” Tony smiled, “Good luck, kiddo. You’ll do great.”  
  
“ _I know_ ,” Peter said, mocking Tony’s tone.   
  
“What was that?” Tony jokingly glared at him, Peter quickly scurried away.  
  
“Um, bye.” Peter disappeared around the corner, “Love you!” He called back.  
  
“To the moon and back.” Tony chorused. 

* * *

 Two days without Peter somehow flew by, Tony and Pepper got the odd text, but Peter seemed to be enjoying his time away.   
  
Tony and Pepper spent some time together, which actually meant two things; falling asleep in front of a movie within fifteen minutes, even though it took them three hours to chose. And, Pepper moaning work, which Tony did not mind, he would listen to her read an instruction manual for an IKEA cabinet and he’d still be interested.   
  
“It’s our last night of freedom, Pep.” Tony joked, they were sitting on the couch, Pepper was curled into his side with a book propped against her knees; the news was playing in the background.  
  
Pepper snorted, “You’ve missed him really.”   
  
“Have I?” Tony shook his head in instant regret, “I can’t even joke about that. Of course, I have.”  
  
Pepper chuckled, she shut her book and tossed it onto the floor.  She stopped moving, abruptly, “Wait.” She gestured to the television, “Isn’t that the _spider-guy_ , the one who helped you in Leipzig?”  
  
Tony’s heart leapt in his throat as he followed her gaze to the screen, and sure enough, the news was playing footage of Peter clinging onto the Washington Monument.  
  
“Yeah..” Tony sighed breathlessly, “That is Spider-Man. Um, Friday, unmute.”  
  
“ _Spider-Man swooped in heroically saving an Academic Decathlon team from Queens_.” The news reporter stated, “ _The identity of the masked hero is still unknown_.”  
  
“Shit.” Pepper jumped up and grabbed her phone of the coffee table; she kept chanting under her breath in a frenzy, “Peter must have been there.”  
  
Tony thought about telling her the truth, just for a second, but then he had to remind himself that it was not his secret to tell. However, seeing her in such a panic made him think, _how is she going to react when she finds out?_  
  
“Tony, snap out of it.” Pepper pleaded; he looked up at her, he flinched when he noticed the tears forming in her eyes; she held out her phone in front of her,  “It went to voicemail.”   
  
“It’s okay.” Tony’s trembling voice gave him away in a second, “They said Spider-Man saved the team, so Peter’s _fine_. I know he is.”  
  
Tony wondered if the fear sitting in his stomach was the same Peter felt throughout the years he watched Tony be _Iron Man_ , and if it was, he owed his son a thousand apologies.   
  
Pepper blinked away tears, “I just need to hear his voice.”  
  
“Me too.” Tony wrapped a hand around her wrist, “But, honey, they’re okay.”  
  
On that note, both their phones chimed simultaneously. They sighed in relief, knowing the sound came from their joint group chat with Peter.  
  
Tony took out his phone and opened the message, “Don’t panic, I’m okay.” He read aloud, “Ned’s good too, I will call you when I can.”  
  
“Oh..” Pepper wrapped herself around his side, “He’s okay.”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony kissed the side of her head, “ _He’s okay_.” 


	105. A Deafening Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update is usually two chapters but due to shitty wifi, that will not be the case today. Luckily this was saved to drafts! 
> 
> Do not worry, new chapters this Thursday!
> 
> See you then!

There was an unsettling silence outside the entranceway to Midtown as they impatiently waited for the return of the team. It was a silence, that Tony was, unfortunately, and disturbingly used to. The ineffable quiet after a catastrophe.  
  
When you find out a loved one has been hurt or has almost lost their lives. You freak, you scream, you cry, and you desperately search for answers.   
  
But then there’s a _moment_ when you’re waiting, on the front line, to see them again, and you’re just _silent_ , because you’re feeling everything all at once, and you can’t explain it.  _You can’t until you see them again._  
  
When the bus turned the corner, the silence was inevitably broken by a soft harmony of sighs, and cries, in utter relief.   
  
Pepper tugged on Tony’s hand, pulling him closer to the edge of the curb. He despised seeing the panic etched over her face and the desperation in her wide-eyes. He couldn’t ease that suffering because Peter’s secret was not his to tell.  
  
And _, he felt it too._ The thought of Peter climbing that monument knowing his friends’ lives were on the line, and he was the only one who could save them, was sickening.   
  
He was proud, tremendously, but equally as terrified.   
  
Peter was used to just saving the everyday man on the street, not people he cared about. This was different, something like this, it changes a hero.   
  
The team started to pour out of the bus, parents and guardians charged over starting a cluster around the main doors. It was a chorus of screams, and hugs, and intangible explanations.  
  
Tony and Pepper were torn from their search for Peter, by his teacher, Mr. Harrington, “Mr. Stark? Miss. Potts? Can I talk to you for just a second?”  
  
“Is everything okay?” Pepper said quickly, her grasp tightened around Tony’s hand until it hurt, but he didn’t mind in the slightest.  
  
“Everything’s fine.” He told them, “We just had an issue with Peter this morning.”  
  
“What kind of issue?” Tony asked.  
  
“He left the hotel without permission, Ned said he wasn’t feeling well, and wanted to clear his head.”  
  
Pepper’s breath hitched, “That’s not like him.” She shook her head, “Why weren’t we informed of this?”  
  
Harrington’s face paled, “Ned told me he messaged you.”  
  
“Must’ve slipped his mind.” Tony shrugged, knowing that Ned was trying, to the best of his ability, to hide Peter’s identity.  
  
“You have my apologies.” Harrington said calmly, “I was planning to call you after I had spoken to him but after the incident at the Washington Monument I forgot.”  
  
“That’s understandable,” Pepper said, her tone softer.  
  
Tony’s focus shifted and he quickly noticed Peter. He was stood away from the rest of the group, hiding behind Tony’s worn MIT hoodie.   
  
Tony pulled on Pepper’s jacket sleeve, “Pepper.” She turned, following his line of sight, directly to their son. Tony muttered an inaudible jumble of words to Harrington before Pepper pulled on his arm, and they both hurried away.  
  
“P _et_ er!” Pepper’s throat cracked, and before Peter even had time to react, she let go of Tony’s arm, and threw herself around Peter, pulling him in tightly as she could.   
  
Tony stood to the side, swallowing the lump in his throat as he studied the pair. Peter turned his head on Pepper’s shoulder, and looked him in the eye,  “Hey.” Peter hiccuped into the quiet.   
  
Tony let out a shaky chuckle, “Hey, bud.”   
  
Pepper pulled back,  “Are you _okay_?” She pulled down his hood so that she could thread her fingers through his tangled hair.  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded, “I’m good.”  
  
Tony moved forward, he placed an arm around Peter’s back, and Pepper did the same.  Tony leaned down, placing a kiss on Peter’s head, “Come on, let’s get home.”

* * *

The journey back was silent. No one spoke. Tony knew, by the look on Pepper’s face, this was the calm before the storm. She had questions and she’d have to ask them in vain because Peter wasn’t ready for her to know the truth.  
  
All she knew was that her son was acting uncharacteristically; Peter had never been one to misbehave at school, even with the inescapable Stark reputation. For Pepper, she probably thought he was acting out, not that he was a _vigilante._  
  
As soon as they walked through the door, Peter collapsed down onto the couch and folded his legs close to his chest. Tony fell next to him but chose not to say a word.  
  
Pepper paced. She did that a lot when she thinking things over, and it was just a little too much at once.  
  
After a while, weighed down by his own impatience, Peter managed to speak up, “Mum?”  Pepper flinched, and turned to face him, “ _Mum_ , what’s wrong?”  
  
She let out a long breath, and slumped her shoulders, “Can you tell me, sweetheart?” She pleaded, “Because I’m _lost_.  You left the hotel room in Washington. I’m not stupid…” She gestured over to Tony, who straightened his posture as he listened, “And I don’t think your dad is either. You sneak out of this house every night.”  
  
Peter sunk back into the couch and protectively pulled his legs closer to his chest.   
  
“I thought you just needed space and time since the Accords.” Pepper sniffled, she let out a small humourless laugh, “And we were teenagers before and I understand the rebellion thing, darling. I mean, look who your dad is.”  
  
“Hey,” Tony whined as he held up his hands in front of him.  
  
“But this has to stop.” Pepper said, ignoring Tony, her focus locked solely onto Peter, “Now.”  
  
“It’s okay, Mum.” Peter hiccuped, “I’m just…”  
  
“This isn’t okay.” Pepper said hastily, “This isn’t you. Where do you _go_? Are you in trouble?”  
  
“No.” Peter sniffled, “I’m fine.”  
  
“Please, Peter.” She begged, “We need to know.”   
  
Tony shifted when he noticed how panicked Peter was becoming. His breathing was shallow and uneven. His skin was a ghastly grey, and his lower lip was trembling.  
  
Pepper was in such a state, that she hadn’t noticed, her eyes were locked onto the wall as tears ran down her cheeks, “I’m scared.” Pepper carried on, “If you tell us what’s going on, we can help, and we won’t be angry with you.”  
  
“Pep…” Tony placed a cautious hand on Peter’s shoulder, attempting to calm the situation down before it escalated too far.   
  
Pepper looked at Tony, and her face fell. He knew that at that moment, she realised that he knew something that she didn’t, which is why he had stayed quiet through her speech, “What’s going on?” She bowed her head into her chest, “Is this because I left?”  
  
Peter shook his head, he held out his hand and moved it around haphazardly. “No.” He said sternly, though his voice shook, “No, _no_.”  
  
“Bud?” Tony said calmly, he was used to Peter’s tell-tell signs of a panic attack.   
  
Peter lunged off the couch, brushing off Tony’s grip, “This isn’t because of _you_ , Mum.”  
  
“Then what’s going on?” Pepper sniffled, “Because since all that--”  
  
“I’m Spider-Man!” Peter proclaimed.   
  
Tony instinctively jumped up, and grabbed Peter’s hand, pulling him close to his side. His son leaned his forehead against his shoulder, and loosened his posture until he was boneless; Tony put a firm arm around him, keeping him upright.  
  
Pepper’s throat cracked, and she shuffled back, Tony made sure he had a secure hold on Peter, before looking up at her.   
  
She was a stuttering mess, much like their son.  
  
Tony had imagined plenty of situations where Pepper found out, but this was not one of them, but in the end, it was the most real.  
  
Peter had not planned to say that, but he wasn’t going to let Pepper blame herself for something that wasn’t her fault. That weight would simply be heavier than his secret identity.  
  
“You can’t be.” Pepper finally managed to choke out.  
  
Peter moved from Tony’s side, “Bud, hey…”  He sighed, “Take a moment.”  
  
Peter grabbed his rucksack, and unzipped it, not listening to his dad’s words. He balled his fists around his suit, and pulled it out, “Here.” He held it out in front of him, for Pepper to see.   
  
She leaned over, carefully taking it into her hands. She studied it with teary eyes, and an unreadable expression.  
  
“Mum?” Peter’s throat seized, “Say something. Mum, _please_.” And with that, the flood gates opened, and he broke under it all, “I’m sorry, I’m _sorry,_ I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry I worried you.”   
  
Even though he was sobbing, and not taking time between each word, Tony understood everything he said. Pepper did too. They were his parents, after all.  
  
“These powers, they’re part of me. And I can’t--Spider-Man is--”  
  
Pepper flung the suit over her shoulder, and moved over, gently wrapped her hands around Peter’s wrist, “Peter, sweetheart, look at me.” He sucked in a breath, and locked eyes with her, “Breathe.”  
  
For a few moments, Peter copied Pepper’s breathing, “I’m sorry.” He repeated, after gathering enough strength.  
  
“Stop... I’m not angry, honey.” Pepper admitted, “I knew something like this was gonna happen one day…” He pointed over to Tony, “I mean."  
  
Tony rolled his eyes but stayed quiet.  
  
“But not like this.” Pepper pulled the suit down, “Powers?”  
  
Peter shrugged, “Bitten by a radioactive spider.”  
  
“Oh.” Pepper sighed, “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“I was going too…” Peter sniffled, “I just…I didn’t know how.”  
  
“Who knows?”  
  
“A few people. Auntie Nat, Uncle Rhodey and Happy...Steve.” _Oh God,_ Tony would never get over the way Peter said Steve’s name as if all his childhood memories were tainted by that day in Siberia.  
  
“Ned knows too---” Peter cracked, “I didn’t wanna hurt you, Mum.”  
  
“Why do you mean?” Pepper asked, “You could never hurt me.”  
  
“I know...what’s it like…” He tilted his head over to Tony, “And I can’t give it up. I have to do this.”  
  
“Sweetheart, I know.” She cried, “And I don’t expect you too. But, I like knowing because I get to look out for you.”   
  
Peter tried to speak again, but his words died in his throat.  
  
Pepper placed a hand on his cheek, and brushed away his tears, “Go and get some sleep, you deserve it. We can talk in the morning.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter sniffled, “Goodnight.”  
  
“Night, bud,” Tony muttered before his son darted away, as quick as he possibly could.  
  
Tony started to follow, but stopped in his tracks when Pepper spoke, “Where do you think you’re going?”  
  
_This was going to be a long night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note (spoilers for future chapters:)
> 
> I need to address this now because a few people have been asking. This fanfiction will be sticking to canon, and yes, even Endgame. This project from the beginning was 'what if Peter was Tony's son in the MCU' so I want to cover every aspect, from beginning to end. (not including Far From Home but never say never.)
> 
> Writing this has been a way for me to channel my post-endgame grief into words, and even though it's soul-crushing, I'm proud of the outcome.
> 
> I know some of you don't want that ending, and I know Endgame was not the ending everyone wanted, so I completely understand if you stop reading on 
> 
> However, I'm not a complete jerk, I will be publishing an alternative 'happier' ending after this is all wrapped up and done.
> 
> So if you're a fan of angst, you can read on. But if you want the happier ending, you can stick around for updates :) (Or both!)
> 
> Thanks for all your support so far! I can not explain the feeling I get every time I receive a comment, ahh. I'm so glad you're all enjoying it!
> 
> I love you 3000.


	106. The Five Stages Of Grief

Pepper’s questions lasted all night, she didn’t stop until the sun was beaming through the windows. She hadn’t even let herself breath as she desperately attempted to understand everything that had happened.   
  
Tony could tell that she wasn’t angry, that was just the front she was putting up. He knew how he knew that because he had been through the exact same thing when he found out Peter was Spider-Man.   
  
It was like going through the five stages of grief: _denial, anger, depression, bargaining, acceptance._  
  
Of course, they hadn’t lost Peter. Actually, he was safely tucked in bed during the _onslaught_ of the century. _Thanks to Friday’s soundproofing._  
  
It was a different kind of loss, it was unexplainable, a nagging pain deep in the pit of their stomachs that they would never be able to shift.  
  
Peter was alive, but they’d lost who their son used to be. The _Star Wars_ obsessed science-whizz with the dopiest set of puppy-dog eyes you’ve ever seen. That was the _same_ , but now Spider-Man was added to the list.   
  
_Yes_ , he grew up around superheroes, that was his childhood, but that didn’t mean it had to lead to something like this. He could have grown up without bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.  
  
He could have led a normal-ish life, but now, he would always be a superhero too. Which was something neither Tony or Pepper could change.  
  
Tony tried his best to remain level-headed, and undeniably apologetic through Pepper’s questions.  When it was over, Tony was left with ringing ears but, somehow, he felt lighter.   
  
Pepper knew, and she was as determined to keep Peter safe as Tony, and they could share the worry. Like parents are supposed to do.  
  
“Morning, Dad.” Peter skipped into the kitchen, still as white as a sheet, but with a slight spring in his step.  
  
Tony was sitting at the breakfast bar, already on his fifth cup of coffee, still dressed in his clothes from the night before, “Did you sleep last night?”  
  
“A little.” Peter shrugged as he sat opposite, “You?”  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes, and gestured to his outfit, “Oh definitely.” He said exaggeratedly sarcastic, “Best sleep I’ve had in years.”  
  
Peter snorted a laugh and shook his head, he reached over for the cafeteria, which was half-full, ready for Tony’s sixth cup.   
  
“Ha, no.” Tony snatched it away, “Not with your powers. Do you know what caffeine does to spiders?” Peter crossed his arms, and slumped his shoulders, “You can have decaf.”  
  
Peter flung his head back,  “Kill me now.”  
  
Pepper walked in, now changed into a set of pyjamas, and dressing gown. It was going to be one of those days, _they all deserved it_ , “What does caffeine do to spiders?”  
  
Peter leaned forward, ready to lecture them on the scientific study of drugs on Spiders.   
  
“Scrambles their brains,” Tony said quickly, he leapt up from his chair.  
  
“I’m not exactly like a spider, you know?” Peter wiggled his arms out in front of him, and extended his legs out, “Look, only four limbs.”  
  
“Okay.” Tony scoffed, he moved over and ruffled Peter’s hair, “No caffeine for your undeveloped teenage brain.”  
  
“Undeveloped?!” Peter exclaimed as Tony hurried away, chuckling under his breath.  
  
Tony turned back around, he clicked his fingers and pointed at Peter, “Impressionable.”  
  
“Stick to decaf, sweetheart.” Pepper said as she squeezed Peter’s shoulder, “Or you’ll end up like your dad.”  
  
“Hey…” Tony whined, “Ah, why do I even try? Okay... bud, waffles?”  
  
Peter nodded, “Please.”   
  
Tony looked to Pepper, who had sat beside Peter, “Honey?”  
  
“On waffles?” Peter chuckled.  
  
Tony bowed his head down as Pepper and Peter giggled among themselves, “You’re not funny, you know? Pep?”  
  
“Yes, please.”   
  
Tony spun on his heel, and opened a cabinet, “Waffles coming up.” If he wasn’t so tired he would have made a fresh batch, but instead, he opted for the shop brought box.  
  
He watched out of the corner of his eye, as Peter kept dotting his eyes over to Pepper like he wanted to say something.  
  
“Um…” Peter said hesitantly, “Um, Mum?” Pepper smiled warmly, and looked at him, “...You got any questions about--”  
  
“I’ve got a few.” She swirled around in the chair until they were almost knee-to-knee; Peter nodded, giving her the ‘get-go’ to start, “Do you enjoy it?”  
  
A goofy smile grew onto Peter’s face, “I love it.” He let out a shaky laugh, “I get to help people, and it feels...pretty _awesome_.” He held his hands out toward the window, “When I’m out there, I feel like I’m on the top of the world.”  
  
“I’m glad.” Pepper hummed, she reached over, nudging his arm; she avoided eye contact for a second, staring down at the floor, “Does it scare you?”  
  
Tony stopped what he was doing, and leaned his back against the surface, he wanted to know what was going to be said, or _not_.   
  
“Yeah, sometimes.” Peter admitted, he hugged his arms around his front, “The world is kinda scary, right? Not just aliens, and stuff. But _people_ too.  Everyday stuff. And the city, they like me ‘cause I’m not like the others.” He held his hand out, and looked over at Tony, “No offence.”  
  
Tony chuckled, “None taken.”  
  
“I get that, sweetheart.” Pepper said softly, “You’re doing a great job.”  
  
“Friendly-Neighbourhood Spider-Man, right bud?” Tony winked, as he turned back to the task at hand.  
  
Peter snorted, “Right.”   
  
“So, do you have any rules about patrol?” Pepper asked, directed to both Tony and Peter.  
  
“Yes.” Tony answered, “But he doesn’t always listen to them.”  
  
“Well, that’s got to change.” Pepper said sternly, “Here's one, school has to come first. I get Spider-Man, I do, honey, but you can’t throw your life away.”  
  
“I know, but Washington…” Peter’s sentence was cut off by the doorbell echoing through the house.  
  
“Saved by the bell.” Tony mused, “Who is it Friday?”  
  
“Mail carrier, boss.” Friday answered,  “I have told them to leave everything in the hatch.”  
  
“Thanks, honey.” Tony sang back.  
  
“Dad, you gotta stop flirting with Friday.” Peter said, faking a disappointed tone, “Mum is right here.”  
  
Pepper shook her head, and giggled; Tony rolled his eyes, and stepped away, heading for the mail.  
  
He took out a pile of letters, and two parcels, one of which was for him, probably car parts that he forgot he ordered, and the other for Peter.   
  
He hurried back to the kitchen, and placed Peter’s parcel down in front of him, “Here you go.”  
  
“What’s this?” Peter asked, scanning the box.  
  
“I don’t know.” Tony said tossing his own parcel aside, “Did you order something?”  
  
“No.” Peter suddenly jolted, and pushed the package away, “There’s no stamps. Just my name and address.”  
  
“What?” Tony rushed over, and of course, Peter was right, “Okay...I don’t like that.” Pepper jumped out of her chair, and yanked Peter out of his, “Friday, scan it.”   
  
_“I already have, boss.”_ Friday told them, _“The parcel is safe, it contains: one--”_  
  
“Stop, Fri!” Peter ordered, “No spoilers.” He stepped forward, and pulled the box over, tearing at the paper.  
  
“Careful,” Tony said cautiously.  
  
“Shut up.” Peter mumbled, when the box was opened, his breath hitched, and his lower lip trembled as he smiled, “Oh.”   
  
“What is it?” Pepper asked.  
  
Peter reached in, “Rubik's cube.” He turned around, and sure enough, he was holding a cube, he tossed it up into the air, and caught it, with a shaking hand.  
  
Tony grinned, _had Natasha Romanoff always been this soft_? Or only when it came down her nephews and niece?  
  
Pepper’s forehead creased, “Rubik's cube?”  
  
Tony turned to her, “Romanoff.” It had been almost seven years since Natasha came into their lives, and formed a bond with Peter that Tony would forever be grateful for. And it _simply_ started with her solving a Rubik's Cube at superhuman speeds, “Anything else, bud?”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter took out a small piece of paper, “Um.” He sucked in a sharp breath, “Well done in Washington. You did great. Just improve your leg work.” He chuckled, though his teary eyes told a different story, “Natalie Rushman.”  
  
Tony moved forward, and placed a hand on Peter's arm “You okay, bud?  
  
“Yeah, I know she’s safe.” Peter said quietly, he placed the note down, and picked up the cube, “Um,  I’m gonna go and...um, shower.” He rushed away before his parents could say anything else.  
  
“Is he okay?” Pepper asked.  
  
“He misses her.” Tony sighed, he took hold of the note, “I think he misses all of them."  
  
“And you?”  
  
Tony nodded but elected to say nothing.  
  
He realised Peter hadn’t read the entire note aloud. Only the highlights. It was more like a small letter, and Tony had never heard or read Natasha be so sincere, it tugged at the heart-strings.

Peter had the tendency to love those with the coldest exteriors, and in return, they adored him too.

* * *

_ Peter, _  
  
_ Well done in Washington. You did great. You’ve improved so much over the last few months, and you’re giving us all a serious run for our money.  _  
  
_ You just need to improve your leg work, and you’ll be the best out of all of us.  _  
  
_ I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you. Being on the run, it’s harder than I remember. I can’t see you right now, I want too, but I don’t want to put you in any unnecessary danger.  _  
  
_ But remember this, I’m proud of you, _  
  
_ Natalie Rushman.  _


	107. Rulebreaker

If there was one thing Tony hated more than late afternoon conferences about the companies stock market, it was _early_   _morning conferences about the companies stock market_.   
  
The worst part was leaving without Pepper, she had to stay behind, and endure hours of meetings, and conferences. He definitely didn’t envy her, but she was in her element as CEO, it was a role she was born to be.  
  
“Hey Hogan, how about we pop out for lunch?” Tony asked; he sat in the back of the car, bored out of his mind in a mile-long traffic jam, “On me?”  
  
“It’s up to you, boss.” Happy shrugged, “But I think Peter would be pissed if we went to any of your usual hangouts without him.”  
  
“He selfishly decided to go to school, so...” Tony joked, “We can go to KFC, he hates it there.”  
  
“Whatever you say.”  
  
Tony’s phone pinged, and he scrolled to see an email, sent directly by the director of the _Federal Bureau of Investigation_ , the FBI.  
  
He grinned gladly as he read it, they had tracked down the arms dealers that Peter had been so worked up about, and they were ready to catch them, today.  
  
It was an instant shift of Tony’s shoulders, he knew that Peter had been worried about it, because he felt for responsible as he was the first to encounter them, but he was nowhere near ready to face something so big.  
  
Tony leaned forward, “I’m gonna give Peter a call, they tracked down those arms dealers that he fought.”  
  
“Finally.” Happy said, “Pete looks like he needs some good news, he looks so stressed out lately.”  
  
“Yeah.” Happy was right. Peter hadn’t been the same since Pepper found out, but Tony knew it was more about the letter from Natasha.   
  
Peter definitely seemed to be bearing the weight of the universe on his young shoulders, and this would hopefully lighten his load.  
  
“Friday, is Peter on a free period?” Tony asked.  
  
“ _Yes, sir. His next lesson is in half an hour._ ”   
  
“Call him, please.”  
  
The small holographic screen in front of him popped up with Peter’s details, and within a few seconds, the call was answered, “Hey, Bud.” Tony pulled off his sunglasses, “Got a sec?”  
  
“ _Uh…_ ” Peter stuttered, “ _I’m at school_.”   
  
Tony narrowed his eyes at Peter’s tone, he couldn’t place why, but it was off. “I know. Free period, right?” He asked, rhetorically, “I won’t keep you. I just wanted to tell that those--”  
  
“ _I’m kind of in the middle of something right now_.” The way Peter spoke, and the way he was acting, was uncharacteristic.   
  
Peter did interrupt Tony a lot, but only playfully, when they were joking around with each other. This was different, Peter snapped, he hardly ever did that. Tony could tell a mile off, that something was wrong. He knew Peter struggled with certain classmates at school and had hidden it away until Ned had said something, but this didn’t seem like that.  
  
“Don’t cut me off when I’m trying to tell you something, kid,” Tony said, noting that they would have a conversation about this later, he would get the root of his problem, but not over the phone.   
  
Tony’s confusion doubled when heard a deafening horn through the receiver.  
  
“What is that?”  
  
“ _Uh…_ ” Peter trailed off, “ _I’m at band practice_.”  
  
There it was, Tony had caught his son in a web of lies, “That’s odd. You quit band six weeks ago. What’s up?  
  
“ _I gotta go_.” Peter said quickly, “ _Uh, end call_.”  
  
“Hey.” Tony said through gritted teeth as Peter ended the call prematurely, “What the hell was that?”  
  
“Boss?”  
  
“He just hung up on me.” Tony said in utter disbelief, "On _me_."  
  
Happy scoffed, “Teenagers.”  
  
Tony was about to laugh and agree, but then a thought crossed his mind. A heavy thought, that hit his chest at full force, and knocked the air clean from his lungs. He prayed he was wrong _,_ hoping this was just his constant paranoia. Peter wouldn’t do something so unbelievably dumb, would he? _Oh God_ , of course, he would. He was a Stark; Peter was so insistent on proving that he was ready for more when told many times that he wasn’t.    
  
Tony shook his head, willing his thought to false, still, even though he knew he was right, “Friday, track Spider-Man’s suit for me.”   
  
_“Of course, boss.”_  
__  
Friday popped up the information, and Tony’s heart sank to his feet. It tracked the suit to _Washington,_  the hotel Peter had stayed in on the trip, “That’s not possible. Peter isn’t in Washington.”  
  
_“According to his tracker, the suit hasn’t moved in over a week.”_  
  
“Shit.” Tony cursed, “Bring up any alerts, keyword _Spider-Man_.”   
  
Numerous news reports and tweets flashed up - _Peter was on the ferry_. The same ferry the FBI were on.  
  
“Oh, he is so grounded.” Tony undid his seatbelt and tapped his the back of Happy's seat, “Pullover. Friday, deploy Mark XLVII to my location, now.”  
  
The next few minutes blurred into _nothing_. Tony’s mind was overwhelmed by dark thoughts, of everything that could go wrong.  
  
He jumped into his suit, and rushed to the ferry, as quick as he possibly could, but he felt like he was flying in slow motion.   
  
Tony understood that Peter was in the wrong, for not listening, but at the same time, the numb pain in his chest insisted that he was the guilty one.  
  
_If I hadn’t endorsed this_ , he thought, _if I hadn’t given Peter that damn suit, then this would have never happened._  
  
Nausea wrapped a cold hand around Tony’s neck as he reached the ferry. It was torn clean in half, and Peter was right in the centre of it all,  desperately attempting to hold both sides together with his webs.   
  
He didn’t stand a chance.  
  
Tony flew forward, and placed his hands against the exterior; he started to guide the ship back together. “Patch me through the Spider-Man, Friday, now.”   
  
He noticed Peter through the window, his son was holding up his arm in a defensive position, and even with his mask on, Tony could picture his expression.  
  
“Hi, Spider-Man.” Tony greeted unamused, “Band practice, was it?”  
  
A set of drones flew over, and attached themselves to the other side of the boat, and assisted him in pushing it back together. He glanced at Peter once more, before flying down, under the deck, to patch together the tears.  
  
Peter swiftly followed behind, “Uh, Dad?” He crawled over the ground, trying to catch his breath, “I mean, ugh, hey, _Mr. Stark_!” Snapping back into Spider-Man persona, the one from the fight in Leipzig, where they weren’t father and son, __just teammates.   
  
Tony didn’t know why, but it aggravated him because he had never felt more like a disappointed parent in his entire life.   
  
“Could I do anything?” Peter yelped, swinging up onto the top of the boat, “What do you want me to do?”  
  
Tony stared down at him, “I think you’ve done enough.”


	108. A Mirror Image

Tony couldn’t help the sickening sensation in his throat when he flew back up after fixing the ship, and Peter wasn’t there. _Thankfully_ , it didn’t take long to find him, perched on the edge of a nearby building with his mask off; Tony was sure that since becoming Spider-Man, Peter had never seemed so young.   
  
This wasn’t right, Tony had been wrong. Peter was not ready, nowhere near. Spider-Man had to go because Tony refused to lose his son to this world. _The superhero world that took more than it gave._  
  
Tony flew over, hovering nearby, “Previously on Peter Screws the Pooch: I tell you to stay away from this. Instead, you hacked a multimillion-dollar suit so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do.”  
  
“Is everyone okay?” Peter asked, not turning to face him.  
  
“No thanks to you.”  
  
Peter glanced back, his eyebrows knitted together in evident fury, “No thanks to me?”  
  
He balled his fist around his mask, and leapt down off the edge, obviously ready for an argument, as was Tony.  
  
Peter held his hand to emphasize his point, he stepped over, slowly closing the distance between them, “Those weapons were out there, and I tried to tell you about it. But you didn’t listen. You never do, Dad! None of this would’ve happened if you had just listened to me.” Peter clenched his jaw, and he wore a confident expression, he turned his head to the side, before looking up, “If you even cared, you’d actually be here.”  
  
Tony felt like someone had torn his heart clean out because this hurt more than anything that happened with Steve in a damn bunker in Siberia.   
  
It was a different type of pain. Inexplicable agony, that was born from the idea that Peter thought Tony didn’t care enough to actually be there in person. _Had Tony truly been that dismissive of Spider-Man?_ But that dismissal was born from Tony’s fear of losing his son. 

Tony opened the suit and stepped out. Peter hurried back, genuinely surprised by the reveal. Tony sniffled and dug his nails in his palm to anchor himself.   
  
“I did listen, kid.” He said sternly, “Who do you think called the FBI, huh? I just phoned you to tell you.” He shook his head, and flung his hand back, “I should have never let this happen. You’re not ready for this.”  
  
“I am ready--”  
  
“No, this is where you zip it, all right?” Tony snapped, holding his hand up in front of him, “The adult is talking.”  
  
_God_ , he despised how Peter flinched as he spoke, he knew this had to be done, but he felt horrible. He understood that he wasn’t anything like Howard, but it was all he could think about.   
  
“What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right?” He pointed at Peter’s chest, “Cause that’s on you. And if you died…” The words died in his throat, as the idea overwhelmed his already clouded mind.  _No,_ Peter couldn’t die, especially not like this.  
  
“If you died…” Tony said breathlessly, "God, bud. If you die, I die! It’s that simple.” _There is no me without you._  
  
“I know, Dad.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I, I’m sorry.” Peter blurted.  
  
“Sorry doesn’t cut it..”  
  
“I understand.” Peter’s voice trembled, and he darted his eyes away from the second, “I just wanted to be like you.”  
  
“And I wanted you to be better.” 

Peter’s face crumbled, and he looked down.  
  
Tony didn't feel like a role model, or someone to look up to when it came to things like this, Peter could not fall the same way he did.   
  
“Okay, it’s not working out.” Tony sighed, pointing down at the mask clasped in Peter’s hand, “I’m gonna need the suit back.” He looked over the ledge, _this wasn’t going to be easy_.  
  
“For how long?” Peter hiccuped, worry etched over his face.  
  
Tony looked him directly in the eye, so he knew he wasn’t lying, “Forever.”   
  
The colour drained from Peter’s cheek, and he shook his head, muttering out intangible sentences, pleading not to have this taken away from him. Tony wished that someone had just taken his suits away from him, and maybe he wouldn’t be so broken. He wondered if Peter would ever understand that.  
  
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s how it works.” Tony argued.  
  
“No, no, no... Please, please, please…” Peter begged, tears brimming his eyes.  
  
“Let’s have it.”  
  
“You don’t understand. Please.” Peter pleaded, not even taking time to breathe, “This is all I have. I’m nothing without this suit.”  
  
Now, Tony knew he was making the right decision. Peter was in too deep and was already drowning. This suit wasn’t all he had, he had family and friends, people who cared about him. _Spider-Man couldn’t come first._  
  
Tony held onto his left arm as he shook involuntarily, “If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it. Okay?” He threw his hands back, “God, I sound like my dad.”  
  
Peter’s lower lip trembled, and he looked away, scraping his teeth against his lip as he tried not to cry.  
  
Tony tried to understand it from Peter's point of view; he was a teenager, who thought he could take on the world, and Tony was simply stopping him from doing so.  
  
This was going to create a rift between them that Tony was not prepared to handle but it was a sacrifice he had to make to keep Peter safe from his own irresponsible actions. Nevertheless, it had always been Peter and Tony, the pair hardly fell out, and when they did, it was the worst. Arguments in the Stark household always ended in hot chocolate and a hug. _This was not going to be one of those times._  
  
All those years ago when Tony picked up an orphaned ten-month-old, he vowed to protect him, and love him with everything he had. The latter he had done effortlessly, but in his eyes, the first needed desperate improvement.  
  
Peter sighed, defeated, and looked back up at his dad, “I didn’t bring any other clothes.”   
  
“Okay, we’ll sort that out.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you all again this Tuesday! Hope you enjoyed the update!


	109. Bridge The Gap

Tony did not regret the decision he made, it was all the choices that led up to the day he took Peter’s suit away that he hated himself for, and always would. He would never forgive himself for making the suit or letting Peter join the fight at Leipzig, or allowing him to carry on being a superhero at such a young age. Peter was headstrong and a hero in his own right, but even with his experience alongside the Avengers, he was still just a fifteen-year-old boy, who hadn’t had the chance to grow up like every other kid his age.  
  
Taking the suit from Peter was the only plausible way to make sure he was safe, and more importantly, _alive_.    
  
It also gave Peter a chance to be a teenager, which was all Tony had ever wanted. Unfortunately and predictably, it was most definitely not what Peter wanted, but it was what he needed, even if he didn’t realise that yet.  
  
Almost comically, Tony got what he wanted, because since that fateful day of the ‘Ferry incident,’ Peter had started to act like an avenge day-to-day teenager, one who knew, deep down that he was in the wrong, but it was easier to have some sort of personal _vendetta_ against Tony.   
  
Tony hated it, they never fell out, and it just felt wrong. Their daily conversations were more like passing sentences you mummer to a complete stranger on an early morning commute. It was the worst sort of pain, and Tony wouldn’t be able to shift until he saw Peter laugh again, or at least smile.  
  
Tony had thought, for a while, that the altercation on the roof, made him exactly like Howard. The man he never wanted to be, but he realised he was nothing like his father.  Howard had never cared how he made Tony feel, their relationship had been balanced on top of drunken arguments and unnecessary confrontations. Tony, however, was a better dad, and he was finally letting himself realise that, but he often cared too much that it hurt.  
  
“Peter,” Tony called over for the _billionth_ time that morning.   
  
They both stood awkwardly in the kitchen, not even meeting eyes. Tony was downing his ninth cup of coffee, while Peter was going through his backpack, probably making sure he had all his homework, he was already in enough trouble with school, he didn’t need to add anything else to the heap.  
  
“Peter, lasagna or beef casserole, for dinner?” Tony asked, only to be met with another round of silence, “Hey?”  
  
He narrowed his eyes and focused on his son. He realised that Peter was wearing his earphones, but then he remembered that Peter had heightened senses, and could probably still hear him, he was just choosing not too.  
  
Tony strode over, an exaggerated skip in his step, “Peter.” He leaned forward, and pulled on the wires of the earphones; Peter sighed, annoyed, “Hey, you listening to me?”  
  
“What do you want?” Peter asked, snatching back his earphones, and proceeding to zip up his bag.  
  
Tony crossed his arms over his chest, “Do you want lasagna or beef casserole for dinner tonight?”   
  
“I’m eating at Ned’s.” Peter swung his bag onto his back and attempted to turn away, but Tony pulled him back.  
  
“Again?”  
  
Peter glared up at him, “Am I not allowed to?”  
  
Tony closed his eyes, and loosened his grip on Peter’s shoulder, “No, I mean, yes, of course, you can go to Ned’s house.” He playfully nudged Peter’s upper arm, “But hey, we hardly see your face around here anymore, kid.”  
  
Peter pulled away, “I gotta go.” He hurried towards the kitchen door just as Pepper stepped in, bleary-eyed, and still in her pyjamas, “Bye Mum.”   
  
“Oh, bye sweetheart.” She kissed his cheek as he walked past, “Have a good day at school.”  
  
“I’ll try,” Peter muttered back as he charged out.  
  
Pepper and Tony waited in silence, holding their breath until they heard the front door shut behind him. Tony reclined his head, and let out a deep sigh before burying his face in the palm of his hands.   
  
“You could cut the tension in here with a knife.” Pepper mused, she moved over and pulled Tony’s hands away from his face, “You know what? Nothing beats your casserole.”  
  
Tony chuckled, and nodded, “Okay, yeah. Casserole.”   
  
“Tony, look at me.” Pepper said sternly so that she could gain his full attention; she pointed back at the doorway that Peter had just walked through, “This isn’t something you can fix like one of your suits. Things like this, it will take time. You’ll get there.”  
  
_God_ , Tony wished he had her optimism, he shook his head, “He hates me.”  
  
“No, he hates the…” Pepper trailed off, “Situation. What happened on Staten Island.” She shrugged, and a small smile grew on her face, “Remember how you were with Iron Man, back in the day?”  
  
“Of course.” Tony nodded, "That’s why I did this.”  
  
“And we’ve been through this, Tony.” She chuckled humorlessly, “I am with you on this one and you know that. He was reckless, stupid. And he might be a little off right now, but he’ll get it one day.”  
  
“I hope so.”   
  
“If anything, he’s just being a grumpy teenager.” Pepper pointed out, “I know Spider-Man is a little different from what everyday families go through, but it’s our version of normal. We’re gonna be okay.”  
  
Tony smiled, “You sure?”  
  
Pepper leaned in, and kissed him, she leaned back to look him in the eye, “I’m always sure.”  
  
Tony stepped back, “So, casserole, then?”  
  
“Yes, please.”  
  
“Slow-cooked?”  
  
“Always.”  
  
Tony gestured to the doorway, “I’ll make enough for _Anakin Skywalker_ too, with the whole super metabolism thing. He’s never _not_ hungry.”  
  
Pepper snorted, and pointed to the fridge, “I’m pretty sure he ate the tub of cream cheese last night.”  
  
“Super carvings,” Tony said, as he opened the cupboards and started getting everything together.  
  
“Strange carvings.” Pepper commented as she poured herself a cup of coffee.  
  
Tony hummed in agreement, he leaned his elbows on the breakfast bar and dipped his chin to his chest as he thought over everything Pepper had just said, he brushed a hand through his hair, “We’re going to be okay.”

* * *

Pepper and Tony were sat in the dining room, both stuck doing mind-numbingly boring work. Pepper’s paperwork was scrawled across one half of the table, she was busy preparing a board meeting, while Tony was mentally preparing himself for an upcoming meeting with Secretary Ross.   
  
They jumped out of their skin, when they heard the front door open, followed by Peter notable clumsily footsteps, “Mum! Dad!” Peter called, in a sing-song tone, but there was a sense of urgency in the way he spoke, “Where are you guys?”  
  
Tony knitted his eyebrows together and looked to Pepper, who simply shrugged. Tony couldn’t be more confused, what had happened in a single day of school, that had changed Peter’s entire attitude?   
  
“Dining room!” Pepper shouted back as she jumped up from her chair, and circled the table so that she was stood next to Tony.  
  
Peter hurried in, skidding to a stop, his hands held out to his sides, his cheeks burnt a dark shade of red,  “Oh thank God, I need your help.”  
  
Tony stepped forward, preparing himself for any situation that Peter could possibly throw their way, “What? What’s wrong? What happened? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at Ned’s house?” His voice involuntarily went high-pitched towards the end of his sentence. Spending four days without Peter even wanting to look at him, felt like a decade. This was a quick step-up that Tony hadn’t seen coming anytime soon.  
  
Peter’s forehead creased at Tony’s questions, and he shook his head, “I asked Liz out to Homecoming.” He blurted out, breathless.  
  
“That’s amazing, sweetheart!” Pepper squeaked in pure excitement.   
  
Tony scanned Peter’s complex expression, that he couldn’t quite read, “Did you embarrass yourself? Do you want to change your name and move to Europe?” He clapped his hands together, “Because we can do that.”  
  
“What?” Peter shook his head, “No. She said _yes_.”  
  
Tony chuckled as he allowed all the tension and worry on his shoulders fall away. He wished he had known that something as simple as Peter asking Liz to homecoming would somehow change everything. Peter being an anxious teen going on his first date, ever, had put Spider-Man at the back of his mind, and Tony couldn’t be gladder.  
  
“Jesus,” Tony mumbled under his breath. Peter’s _first date_ , he was almost growing up too fast.   
  
“And I have no idea what to do.” Peter carried on, “I mean--I’ve never.”  
  
Tony strolled over, and wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders, “Well, a first date--”  
  
“No, no.” Pepper said quickly, shaking her hand to stop Tony in his trackers, “I’ll deal with the dating advice. You can take him to buy his tux, and you know, give him the talk.”  
  
Tony raised his eyebrows, “The talk?”  
  
“You know…” Pepper widened her eyes, “The talk _talk_.”  
  
Tony could feel the colour drain from his cheeks when he realised what she was talking about, “Oh. I already did that.”   
  
“But now... “ Pepper gestured her head toward Peter, “It’s his first date.”  
  
Peter jolted back, out of Tony’s grasp. He started to giggle nervously under his breath, he held up his hands, and backed away, “Eh, oh, no. Mum!” He groaned, “No, ugh, ha.” He pointed back, “I’m gonna go, and um, eh…” He hit his shoulder off the door frame with some force, “Ow.” Tony cringed, and stepped forward, “I’m good, I’m good.” Peter stuttered defensively, as he charged out of the room.  
  
“We can head off to our tailor now if you like, bud!” Tony called after him.  
  
“That sounds great!” Peter shouted back, “I’ll go and change.”  
  
Tony looked at Pepper. They stared at one another for a few seconds, before they both smiled, and within a couple of seconds, they doubled over in a fit of laughter.   
  
It seemed now, more than ever, that Tony was going to get exactly what he wanted for his son. Peter leading a normal- _ish_ life, and hopefully, it all started with homecoming. 

 


	110. Three Times Is a Pattern

The incident on Staten Island had become a distance fleeting thought, sometimes Tony even forgot about it. The preparation for homecoming had put a pin in the argument, and they were back to their version of normal. Their status quo and Tony couldn’t be happier. Peter was freaking out about dancing, and saying the right things to Liz, Tony found his nervousness both enduring and _hilarious_. It had been the perfect time to tease him and start fixing the recent cracks in their relationship by simply being themselves again.  
  
Tony was disappointed that he would not be able to take Peter and Liz to the school because he was scheduled for a meeting with Secretary Ross, and the UN to discuss the Accords and the rogue Avengers. Nothing like superhero work to get in the way of Tony’s almost normal life.  
  
“I’ve got to go!” Tony bellowed up the stairs, clapping his hands together, “Peter Parker-Stark! I wanna see you all dressed up before I go!”   
  
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Peter shouted back, Tony cringed when he heard multiple things fall off Peter’s nightstand, for a teenager with super-senses, he still had a knack for being impossibly clumsily, “I’m ready.”  
  
Peter skipped down the stairs. Tony gasped, and bit down on his lip to attempt to hide his unexpected reaction; he was so used to Peter living in science pun t-shirts and flannel, that seeing him in a tailored suit made him realise that, whether he liked it or not, Peter was growing up.   
  
“Are you going to cry?” Peter teased, nudging his shoulder.  
  
Tony sniffled, and scoffed, “No.” He said defensively, “Hey, bud, you look handsome?”  
  
“Shut up, Dad.”  
  
“What?” Tony leaned over, and straightened Peter’s tie, “You’re so grown up now, going to a dance, with a girl…”  
  
Peter reclined his head, and groaned, “Please shut up.”  
  
“Never.” Tony tapped Peter’s upper arm before stepping back, “You owe me a thank you, I think.”  
  
Peter narrowed his eyes and tilted his head into his shoulder, “A thank you?”  
  
“Remember the rule…” Tony trailed off, “That you weren’t able to date until you were at least twenty-three.”  
  
Peter closed his eyes and let out a humourless snort, “I hate you.”  
  
“Your Uncle Rhodey is not happy.”  
  
Peter raised his eyebrows, “Did you tell him?”  
  
“Of course I told him.” Tony fumbled for his phone and held it up, “Now, smile.” Peter gave him a weak smile, and Tony snapped the picture, “That’s going on the group chat.”  
  
“No, really!” Peter groaned, “That’s so embarrassing.”  
  
“What? Happy and Rhodey deserve to see you.” Tony shrugged.  
  
The group chat in question, was the ‘Iron Fam’ which included Tony, Pepper, Peter, Rhodey and Happy. Natasha had once been on there before, which was something Tony’s mind didn’t enjoy dwelling on. The simpler times when they were all together. Since receiving her letter mentioning her felt like pouring salt on an open wound, to both Tony and Peter.   
  
“Come on, sweetie.” Pepper called as she hurried down the stairs, she placed her hand flat against Peter’s back, “We don’t want to be late. Got everything?”  
  
Peter nodded, “Yeah.”  
  
Pepper smiled, “Ready?”

“No,” Peter replied, almost too quickly.  
  
Tony locked an arm around Peter’s back, “You’ll be fine, bud. You’ve got this. Sorry that I’ve got this stupid meeting, I’d love to be the one taking you.”  
  
Peter shrugged, “No, it’s all good, Liz’ Dad is heading out of town anyway, and wanted to take us. I’ll see you tonight, right?”  
  
“I hope so.” Tony smiled, “As long as Secretary Ross doesn’t drone on into the early hours of the morning.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes, and tapped Tony’s arm before stepping aside, “Good luck.”  
  
“You too.” Tony held out his arms, “What, are you too old for a hug now?”  
  
Peter walked over, and pulled Tony into a hug, “You’re so embarrassing.” He muttered into his shoulder.  
  
Tony barked out a laugh before letting Peter go, “Have fun, kiddo.” Peter scurried away towards Pepper, “And no drinking!”  
  
“Bye.” Peter reached for Pepper’s arm, and pulled her away, trying to escape Tony’s sense of humour.  
  
Pepper turned her head back, and waved to Tony, “See you later!”  
  
Tony groaned, and muttered a goodbye, followed by an unamused, “Let’s hope.”

* * *

Tony didn’t know need to go to every single meeting about the ‘Rogue Avengers’ but he was forced too. He had no control over the accords, and he hadn’t had any _real_ contact with the team, besides the letter from Natasha. _Yes_ , Tony kept tabs on them, and maybe, he hacked into security footage and deleted some surveillance tapes, but no one needed to know about that. If they did, it would be a one way trip to the Raft or house arrest like Clint.  
  
Tony had come to terms with that fact that the only reason Secretary Ross dragged him along to the meeting was to act as some form of punishment for what happened at Leipzig, and that time he hung up on him when Steve broke everyone out of the Raft.  
  
“The last supposed sighting of the team was Miss. Natasha Romanoff in Budapest.” Ross stated, dotting his eyes around the table, "Was there anything else?”  
  
“No one else spotted since, sir.” One agent replied, “It seems she was able to dodge our surveillance team.”  
  
“Stark?” Ross called, Tony looked down at the table, trying to act nonchalant and absent, “Stark?”  
  
“Yes, dear.” Tony sung, trying to hold back a laugh.  
  
Ross let out a long sigh, “Are you even listening?”  
  
“Yes, of course.” Tony nodded, “Romanoff, somewhere in Berlin?”  
  
“Budapest.” An agent corrected a string of annoyance in his tone.  
  
Tony shrugged, and held his hands up, “Easily confused.”  
  
“I would like you to take this seriously,” Ross told him.  
  
“Oh, trust me, I am.”  
  
“I understand that they were once your colleagues, but they are dangerous…” Ross explained, “The world's most wanted criminals.”

“If you don’t mind me speaking out of term, Secretary, but if you remember, Romanoff agreed with the accords, but she did not agree with the altercation at Leipzig.” Tony pointed out, “She’s a trained agent, and she was just trying to stop it from escalating.” This was Tony’s chance, it was slim, but he was going to take it. _For Peter_. For his son’s chance to see his aunt again, safe and sound. Deep down, Tony missed Natasha too and wanted her home. She was like the little sister that he never asked for, but got anyway.  
  
“What are you getting at here, Stark?”  
  
“I guess I’m asking…” He cleared his throat, “For a pardon for Romanoff.”  
  
“Well, that’s some horseshit, Stark.” Ross scoffed, “You really think you even have the right to ask for anything like that?”  
  
“I was just speaking my mind, sir.”  
  
Ross shook his head, “You always do.”  
  
_“Boss, someone on your three-call priority list is attempting to contact you for the fourth time.”_ Friday’s voice echoed through the room, starting a chorus of questions around the table.  
  
“What is this?” Ross complained.  
  
‘ _The three-call priority list_ ’ was created for emergency purposes only, and it was only programmed to work for a few people; Pepper, Peter, Happy, Rhodey, and recently Ned was added after he found out Peter was Spider-Man. It was a program created so that if Tony was in an important meeting, and someone on the list attempted to call him more than three times than Friday was granted permission to interrupt and inform him of the situation.  
  
“Who is it, Friday?” Tony asked, ignoring Ross.  
  
_“Ned Leeds.”_  
  
Tony jumped up from his seat without a moment’s notice, took his phone out and headed for the door, “Stark.” Ross said through gritted teeth.  
  
“I’ve got to take this, sorry,” Tony said hurrying out of the room and scrambling for Ned’s contact.  
  
He prayed, and hoped, that perhaps Peter had just rebelled and got drunk, like every teenager at their homecoming dance, but he knew before calling that wouldn’t be the case. This was something bad, Ned was nervous by nature and he wouldn’t break the three-call list without a proper reason too.  
  
“Ned?”  
  
_“Mr. Stark, oh shit, I mean Tony.”_ Ned stuttered, at a loss for breath, _“I know you’re in an important meeting but this is about Peter."_  
  
“Okay, Ned, take a moment.” Tony said reassuringly, “What’s going on?”  
  
“ _The guy with the wings is Liz’s dad, and he’s going to steal your stuff from the tower...you know, the one you sold.?_    
  
Tony didn’t have time to unpack all of that, what was the chance that Peter’s first date happened to be the daughter of the arms dealer he had been tracking down for almost a month? _Slim to none_. Disaster and irony seemed to follow the Stark family around.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I know the one, kid.” Tony blurted, “Um, Hold on, hold on. The flying guy, he’s...he’s, Jesus.” He shook his head, “Okay, _Peter,_ where’s Peter?  
  
“ _The guy figured out that Peter was Spider-Man, and Peter’s gone after him_!”  
  
Tony’s heart dropped, “But..he doesn’t have his suit.”  
  
“ _He took the other one!”_ Ned answered, _“The one he made_.”  
  
Tony shook his head in disbelief. _No_ , he thought, _this can’t be happening_. Peter was out there, taking on an armed criminal wearing _pyjamas._ That was the equivalent of Tony attempting to take on Obadiah Stane in the suit he built in the cave in Afghanistan.   
  
“Shit, okay.”  
  
“ _I don’t know what else I can do, Tony_.”  
  
“Okay, okay.” Tony let out a shaky breath, “I’m gonna find him, I will phone you when he’s safe. Thank you, Ned.”  
  
“ _Got it, thanks, Tony_.”  
  
“Bye.” Tony hung up, and immediately called Happy, “Shit, shit.” He cursed as he listened to the dialling tone.  
  
“ _Tony!_ ” Happy shouted, panic in his voice, _“I don’t know what happened. The plane..it’s gone down._ ”  
  
“Happy, shut up.” Tony said, as gently as he could given the situation, “Where’s it gone down?”  
  
“ _Coney Island_.”  
  
“Get there now, and secure the perimeter.” Tony ordered, “Happy…” Fear gripped him by the throat as his mind turned to all the possible outcomes of the night, “Happy...Peter’s there. He went after the man who did this.”  
  
“ _Oh, God_.”  
  
“Get there now, find him. I’m on my way.”  
  
Tony rushed down the corridor having already dispatched a suit. He had to get there as quickly as possible and make sure that Peter was all right.  
  
_Please, please, please_ , Tony begged, _you have to be okay, Pete. You have to be._  
  
_There is no me without you._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ended this one on a cliff hanger.....see you all this Thursday!


	111. Three Minutes

Tony did not have fond memories of Coney Island, which he found _poetically_ aggravating. The first time Tony took Peter there, changed his perspective of being a father forever. It was the moment that sparked the fear that every decent parent feels, and the feeling never goes away.  
  
When you experience it for the first time, it just stays with you, until you die. A dull ache that constantly lies in the pit of your stomach that will sometimes become indescribably painful. _The fear of losing your child_. It’s a universal fear and one that people do not allow their hearts to dwell on for too long. Although, it’s the epitome of being a parent, the constant reminder that life is fleeting, and you must hold onto your child as tight as you can, so they don’t slip away, but you also have to make sure you don’t smother them.  
  
It’s a difficult task for anyone. It was made harder for Tony by the fact his son was a wanna-be superhero, just like him. However, Tony felt that primal fear, before he was Iron Man, and long before Peter was Spider-Man.  
  
As a matter of fact, Peter had only been four at the time. Most of their day had been great, he had sat on Tony’s shoulders, and he had his ridden his first few rollercoasters, which were only tiny rides for young children, but it was an achievement, all the same. Tony had placed Peter down, _just for a second_ , when he ordered them both a pretzel and when he turned back, Peter was gone. He’d never felt anything like it before, the genuine fear that his whole life had just been torn away from him, when it all truth, it had only just begun.

Luckily, he found him three minutes later, but they were the longest moments of his life. Peter had simply just wandered off to investigate a staff member dressed as _Daffy Duck_. From that moment on, up until Peter turned eight, Tony brought Happy, or Pepper, sometimes Rhodey, on their ventures, because that’s what those three minutes did to him.   
  
Ten years later, Tony landed down on Coney Island beach, a few hundred yards from where he had lost Peter the first time. He was going back in time, feeling all again as he desperately searched for his child. It was different though because he wasn’t looking for Peter in a crowd of families on a warm summer's day, he was searching for him in the dead of night, surrounded by fire and destruction, caused by the crash of _his_ plane.  
  
Tony stepped out of his suit, ordering it to continue scanning for Peter, he rushed over to Happy, “Tell me you’ve found him.” He pleaded, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. The fear swimming in Happy’s eyes and the fact that his cheeks were devoid of all colour gave the game the way, and Tony didn’t even need a verbal answer, “Oh, God.”  
  
“We’ll find him, Tony.” Happy said, though his trembling voice didn’t hold up his hopeful words.  
  
“I can’t lose him, Hap.” Tony broke, he dipped his chin down to his chest, “Shit.”  
  
Happy placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder, “You won’t.”   
  
“Where he is, Happy?” Tony asked, not even ashamed of the tears brimming in his eyes. “He should be here.” He waved his hand back, “Look at all this.”  
  
“We both know Pete.” Happy pointed behind him, “He even left us a witty note.”  
  
Tony turned, glad Happy had a firm grip on his shoulder, if he didn’t, he would likely keel over.  
  
Down on the ground, Adrian Toomes, the guy with the wings, was webbed up to the carefully organized pile of Tony’s things from the tower. The man in question, shot Tony a narrowed eyed expression and had the nerve to smirk. The same guy who had just fought a teenager, fully aware of who he was.   
  
Tony glared at him, ready to fight, but he had to find Peter, “I need to…”  
  
“Dad?” The voice was small and distance; Tony only just managed to hear the word as it quickly travelled through the wind.  
  
Tony turned on his heel, and his breath hitched at the sight. Peter stood a few paces away, hunched over in obvious pain. His face was an art gallery of lacerations which luckily had seemed to have stopped bleeding. Both his eyes were sunken back by light brushing surrounding them, his hair was matted with sand, and blood _._ He was seemingly balancing all his weight on his right leg. Even with all of that, and the tears silently chorusing down his cheeks, he still managed to smile.    
  
“Peter.” Tony sighed breathlessly, he hurried forward, and clumsily caught his son as he stumbled forward into his arms. “Oh, My God.” He pushed up on his shoulders, keeping him upright, “Hey, hey, I got you.” He manoeuvred himself, and pulled Peter into a tight hug, shielding him from further harm,  Peter tucked his face into the groove of Tony’s neck, “Are you okay? Are you alright?”  
  
“The kid’s gonna be fine, Stark,” Toomes commented, venom laced in his tone.  
  
“Fuc--” Tony cut himself off, and turned to face the man, while managing to keep an arm locked around Peter, “Shut up!” He bellowed, he pointed his free hand forward in a stern, almost threatening manner, “I will never _ever_ let you see the light of day again, I will make sure that…”  
  
“Dad, stop.” Peter sniffled, leaning back to look up at him, “It’s okay.”  
  
Tony shook his head, “No, I--”  
  
Peter pressed his forehead against Tony’s collarbone, attempting to make himself as small as possible, “Please…”  
  
“Your secret’s safe with me, Pedro,” Toomes sneered.  
  
“Do not talk to him.” Tony ordered, “Don’t talk, look, or even _think_ about him, you got that?!”  
  
“Loud and clear.”  
  
Tony gestured over to Happy as he turned away, guiding Peter with him, “Can someone get him out of here? Before I do something we’ll all regret.”  
  
Happy waved his hand over to an agent, “Evans.” He pointed to Toomes, “Get him out of here.”  
  
“Got it, sir.”  
  
Happy took off his blazer, and hurried to Tony’s side, he held it out, “Here.”  
  
“What’s this for?” Tony asked taking it from him.  
  
“You gotta keep Pete warm…” Happy started, “And we’ve gotta get him past the press.” He pointed over to the crowd that was forming around the beach, exactly where the car was waiting to take them home, “Guessing the secret identity thing is still a thing.”  
  
“Yes,” Peter mumbled.  
  
“Thanks, Hap.” Tony took the jacket and draped it over Peter’s head, he flinched and hiccuped through a sob, “Sorry, _baby_.” ”  
  
“Not your fault.”  
  
Tony moved over, and placed an arm around Peter’s back, slowly starting to journey to their car, “Whatever you say, bud.”  
  
“Sorry ‘bout your plane.” Peter slurred, tiredness finally catching up with him.   
  
“Don’t worry.” Tony reassured him, “Sorry I didn’t get here quick enough.”  
  
“That’s okay.” Peter pointed to the crash site, “I handled it.”   
  
“Yeah, you did.” Tony agreed, “Thank you.”  
  
“I caught the bad guy.”  
  
“And completed your origin story, eh?” Tony asked, trying his best to lighten the mood.  
  
“Think so.” Peter laid his head into Tony’s arm, “Very tiring.”  
  
“Welcome to the superhero _ing_ world, bud.” Tony grinned, “It sucks.”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded, “Kinda cool too.”  
  
“True, it is kinda cool.” Tony mused, he stopped in his tracks, just outside the barrier to the growing crowd, Happy was ahead clearing a path with a handful of agents, “Here we are.” Tony moved the jacket so that it covered Peter’s face, “Sorry, kiddo”  
  
“It’s okay.”  
  
Tony rushed forward, ignoring the crowd, and concentrated solely on the soul-crushing cries Peter made, both from the injuries he had sustained, and the reaction to the overwhelming sound. Tony ushered Peter into the car, hating the fact that he had to let go in order for him to scramble to the far right seat. Happy closed the door behind Tony, as quietly as he could.  
  
“There we go.” Tony reached over, and pulled Happy’s jacket away, he tossed it into the passenger seat. Peter sniffled, with teary-eyes, but he also wore his familiar smile. Tony nudged his chin up, “There’s my favourite face.”  
  
“Thought that was mum’s?”  
  
“Hm, okay then, one of my favourite faces.” Tony said, Peter chuckled, but the happiness was short-lived as he doubled over in pain, “Okay.” Tony pressed a hand flat on Peter’s arm pushing him up so he could overcome his fit of violent coughs, “I’ll try my best not to make you laugh, hey?”  
  
Peter let out a slight snort, “Shouldn’t be too hard.”  
  
“Oh, you can still crack jokes…” Tony joked, “You must be fine.”  
  
“I am fine.”  
  
“Really?” Tony rolled his eyes, “Friday, scan him please.”  
  
_“Certainly.”_ A few seconds of silence passed, _“Peter has four rib fractures, a thoracolumbar fracture, mild traumatic brain injury and he has inhaled smoke.”_  
  
Tony’s mind was too clouded to understand half of what she told him, and certain words terrified him to his very core, “Um, wow. Big words. Can you dumb that down for me, dear?’”  
  
_“Yes, boss. Peter has four broken ribs, a fractured vertebrae, mild concussion, and he is suffering from smoke inhalation. But thanks to his regenerative healing power, he is already on the mend.”_  
  
Peter shrugged, and sighed a gentle chuckle, “Told you I was fine.”  
  
“You’re so far from fine that I’m not sure the word should even be in your vocabulary anymore.” Tony’s voice quivered, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Peter’s, “A fractured vertebrae, kid, that’s a spinal injury.”  
  
“I know, but hey…” Peter squeezed Tony’s upper arm, “I’m healing.”  
  
Tony leaned back, “If anything had--”  
  
“It didn’t Dad.” Peter told him, “I’m still here.”  
  
“Why didn’t you use your panic button?”  
  
Peter’s face fell, “Shit.” He cursed, “Ah, my panic button. I forgot about that.”  
  
“Oh.” Tony had installed the panic button on Peter’s phone years ago, it was a program where Peter could get straight through to Tony in a moment’s notice, but it had never actually been used.   
  
“I was...when I saw him, I just. I froze.” Peter blurted, “Like..what were the chances?” He threw his hands in the air, “The first girl I like ends up being the daughter of the guy who’s tried to kill me. I just left my phone in the car so I could track him.”  
  
Tony nodded, proudly, “Intuitive.”  
  
“Stupid.” Peter said through gritted teeth, “I can’t believe I forgot the panic button.”  
  
“Hey, it’s okay You were in shock. And you did so well.”  
  
“I crashed your plane.”  
  
“And?” Tony laughed, “I let your mum blow up the arc reactor during my first rodeo.” He stroked a hand through Peter’s hair, “I gotta be honest though kid, you do seem the worst off. Toomes barely has a scratch on him.”  
  
“He’s Liz’s dad, had to be careful.”  
  
Tony closed his eyes, “Wow.”  
  
“I did it for her.” Peter admitted, “Not for him.”  
  
“I get that.” Tony smiled, “He really played a number on you.”  
  
The front door opened, and Happy scrambled in, “Hey, Pete, Sorry but can I ask you a question?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“There’s a warehouse a few miles from here that collapsed and I have a few agents wanting to know if that was anything to do with this.”   
  
The remaining colour from Peter’s cheeks faded, and he fumbled for Tony’s jacket sleeve, which was his absentminded signal of an inevitable panic attack,  “Um, yeah. It was Toomes’ warehouse, he, um, knocked it down. Hide all the evidence, you know?”  
  
“Thanks, kid.” Happy opened the door, and looked to Tony, “We can leave in a minute.”  
  
“Thank you, Happy,” Tony said warily, Happy left as quickly as he came.  
  
Tony turned back to Peter, who was now struggling to breathe. He had one hand pressed against his chest as his breathing quicken in pace.  
  
“Peter?” Tony moved and kept his hand gently wrapped around Peter’s arm, knowing the sudden movement would only worry him more, “Okay, okay. Peter, baby, I need you to look at me.” Peter listened, and nodded, “There you go, I’m here.” Peter lunged forward and curled into Tony’s arms, “I got you.”   
  
Peter climbed into Tony’s lap, and lay his head on his chest, Tony guided him to the best of his ability, but Peter was not as small as he used to be. This was the position they always ended up in when Peter had a panic attack, the kid felt safe when he could hear Tony’s heart beating, “Promise me..you won’t kill him.”   
  
Tony’s forehead creased as he twiddled Peter’s hair around his fingers, “Who?”  
  
“Toomes.”  
  
Tony sighed, “Okay.”  
  
Peter peered up at him, with his big puppy dog eyes, “Say it.”  
  
“I won’t kill him,” Tony promised, knowing that Peter needed the confrontation before he opened up.  
  
“I was there…” Peter admitted, his voice shaking, “When the warehouse collapsed. Actually, he did it to...I guess stop me.”  
  
Tony blinked tears away and shook his head, “Peter, please don’t tell me---”  
  
“I was trapped.” Peter said confirming Tony’s worst nightmare, “But I got out.”  
  
Tony brought his fingers to the brim of his nose, “How?”  
  
“Super strength.”  
  
“But a building...like…”  
  
“I didn’t think I could do it.” Peter cried, “But then I remembered what you said...about the suit. I didn’t need it, I just needed _me_.” A small sad smile crawled onto his face, which unexpectedly sent Tony’s mind spinning,  for the past few days, he had fought for a future where Peter could just be an ordinary teenager, but with that smile, he just knew, then and there, this was far from over.  This had only just begun, and there was nothing that could stop it.  
  
Tony let out a soft laugh, “You are... _amazing_.”


	112. A Pleasant Surprise (HC)

**Two Days Later**  
  
Tony went through every possible emotion over the weekend as Peter healed. They were conflicting thoughts that fought with one another and kept him up at night. He didn’t know how to deal with the aftermath of this, even with Pepper’s input. He felt like simply giving Peter the suit back, and letting him back on the streets of New York, was like patching a bullet hole with a bandage. He needed a set plan of action, and like everything he did, it was going to be extravagant.   
  
It was on Sunday when he realised he couldn’t tear Spider-Man away from Peter like he had tried too,  that would be the _equivalent_ of just ripping out one of Peter’s vital organs. The kid adored being a hero, it was part of him, and Tony could see it in his eyes. Pepper had skipped into the kitchen that morning, clutching onto the paper; the first-page title read ‘ _Spider-Man: New York’s Hero_.’ Peter had smiled like he had never smiled before, and Tony knew, Spider-Man was here to stay.  
  
Which is why, impulsively, he decided to offer his son a place on the team. The Avengers weren’t the team they used to be but if Peter became part of the group then, he’d be safe, because they could train with him, and keep an eye on him. Pepper agreed too.  
  
As Tony waited in the lobby for Peter and Happy to arrive, he regretted not talking to Peter about it first, like had promised Pepper he had but at the same time, he wanted it to be a surprise.  
  
His heart fluttered as he skipped down the corridor toward where Happy and Peter were stood staring out the windows, “Oh, there they are.” He greeted, he buried his hands into his pockets, “How was the ride up?”  
  
“Good.” Happy smiled.  
  
Tony nudged Peter’s shoulder, “How was school, kid?”  
  
“Okay, a bit boring.” Peter shrugged, “I think the team are gonna kill me for bailing again.”  
  
“Sorry, but this is…” Tony trailed off, “Important too.”  
  
“Yes, this?” Peter looked around, grinning, “What is _this_?”  
  
Tony bounced his eyebrows up, “A surprise.”  
  
Peter narrowed his eyes, “You hate surprises.”  
  
“No, I do not.” Tony snorted, “Who hates surprises?” He wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders, “Okay, come on.” He looked back at Happy, “Give us a minute?”  
  
“Seriously?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony rolled his eyes, “I gotta talk to my kid.”  
  
Happy shook his head, “I’ll be close behind.”  
  
“How about a loose follow?” Tony moved, guiding Peter along with him, “All right? Boundaries are good.” He turned back, “Bud. listen.” He said softly, “I’m sorry I took your suit. I mean, you had it coming. Actually, it turns out it was the perfect sort of tough-love moment that you needed, right? To urge you on, right? Wouldn’t you think? Don’t you think?”  
  
Peter shrugged, “I guess.”   
  
“Let’s just say it was.”  
  
“Dad, I really--”  
  
“You screwed the pooch hard. _Big time_.” Tony cut him off because he was tired of hearing Peter apologising, he had done it all weekend long, the kid had said ‘sorry’ so many times that Tony had been able to forgive him for future endeavours, “But then you did the right thing. Took the dog to the free clinic, you raised the hybrid puppies.”  
  
Peter snorted, and shook his head, “What are you talking about? “  
  
“All right, not my best analogy.” Tony said defensively, “Hey, it’s all coming from the heart. Look, I was wrong about Spider-Man. In many ways, we can dive into later.” He let go of Peter and circled around his back tapping his shoulder as he moved, “Right now, I just wanna say, with a little more mentoring, you could be a real asset to the team.”  
  
“Wait.” Peter skipped up the stairs behind Tony, “To the...to the team? The Avengers. That team?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony chuckled, he tapped his wrist and unlocked the sliding doors, “Anyway..” He pointed over to the door on the left of the closed display case, “There’s about fifty reporters behind that door. Real ones, not bloggers. When you’re ready... “ He tapped his device again, and case opening, revealing the Iron Spider suit, “Why don’t you try that on? And I’ll introduce the world to the newest official member of the Avengers: Spider-Man.”   
  
Tony had started developing the Iron Spider months back and had been waiting to see Peter’s reaction. His son’s star-struck expression did not disappoint.  
  
Tony grinned, “Yeah. Give that a look.” He stepped back, as Peter got up closer to the armour, and chuckled in disbelief as he walked up, “So I thought, you could spar with the rest of the team, Rhodey, Vision, me. You know, get better at what you do. Because you’re a little all over the place. And wait until you see your new room, better than the last! And no, you’re not moving out, but you can stay here sometimes. Happy, where’s he between? He’s next to Vision?”  
  
“Yeah, Vision’s not big on doors.” Happy joked.  
  
Tony nodded, “It’s fun.”  
  
“Or walls.”   
  
“You’ll fit right in…” Tony pointed out, it was a blank statement because even before Spider-Man, Peter had always fit in beside the Avengers, “You already do.”  
  
Peter scurried back until he was facing Tony, “Thank you, Dad. This is insane and awesome. Thing is...um,  I’m good.”  
  
All the outcomes that Tony had predicted, this was not one of them, he was beyond confused, “You’re good?” Tony took his sunglasses off, and tucked them in his pocket, “Good? How are you good?”  
  
“Well, I mean, you were right, Dad.” Peter smiled, “I’d rather just stay on the ground for a little while. Friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Somebody’s got to look out for the little guy, right?”  
  
“You turning me down?” Tony asked flabbergasted, “You better think about this.” He pointed to the suit, “Look at that.” Peter did, but Tony could tell by his expression his mind could not be changed, “Look at me. Last chance, yes or no?  
  
“No.”   
  
“Okay.” Tony smiled, “ It’s kind of a Springsteen-y, working-class hero vibe that I dig.”  
  
Peter grinned, and clapped his hands together, “Um, thanks. But hey, I’d still like to train with you though.”  
  
“Done deal.”  
  
Peter’s eyebrows knitted together, and he narrowed his eyes; he pointed over to the door, “Ugh, this was a test, right? There’s, uh, nobody back there?”

Tony cringed because it was not a test, and there was a room of people waiting for an announcement. _Oh_ , this is why Pepper wanted him to ask Peter first. “Yeah.” Tony lied, hoping it would make him feel better, it did not, “And you passed.”  
  
Peters shrugged, “Always do.”  
  
The door clicked open, revealing the truth, as the camera clicks and conversation echoed into the lobby; Pepper stepped out, “Okay, what is taking you three so long?”  
  
Peter doubled over in a fit of laughter, and he spun on the spot, attempting to hide a giggle behind his closed fist.  
  
“Ah…” Tony turned to face her, “Busted.”  
  
“Shit,” Peter muttered under his breath.  
  
“What did I miss?” Pepper asked.  
  
“Peter turned it down.” Happy answered.  
  
Pepper stepped closer, “You what?”  
  
Peter held out his arms, and offered her a warm smile, “Friendly-neighbourhood Spider-Man.”  
  
Pepper spun, and glared at Tony, she playfully hit his shoulder, “You said you told him about this, this morning!”  
  
“What? I wanted it to be a surprise, and in my defence, I thought he’d say yes.” Tony told her, “And, he actually made a really mature choice.” He pointed at Happy, “It just surprised the heck out of us.”  
  
“Are you kidding me?” Pepper groaned, “I have a room full of people in there waiting for some big announcement.”  
  
Peter sighed, “Sorry.”   
  
“Not your fault, sweetheart.” Pepper reassured him, “Just your incompetent father.”  
  
“Hey,” Tony whined.  
  
“Look, what am I gonna tell them?”   
  
“Think of something.” Tony stuttered, a thought entered his mind, he smiled and turned to Happy, “How about, um... Hap, you still got that ring?”  
  
“Do I... I, uh…” Happy buried his hand into his pocket, “Um..”  
  
“The engagement ring?”  
  
“Are you kidding?” Happy held up the ring, “I’ve been carrying this since 2008.”  
  
Peter’s breath hitched, and he let out an overjoyed chuckle as he stared at his parents.  
  
“Okay,” Tony said breathlessly.  
  
“I think I can think of something better than that,” Pepper admitted, as she squinted at the ring in utter confusion.  
  
“I’ve got something.” Peter said hastily, “It’s kinda my fault anyways, so…”  
  
“We’re all ears, kiddo.”  
  
Peter awkwardly stepped closer, “Mum.” He sounded so happy, but terrified at the same time, Tony was curious to see where this was going. “Shit.” His face fell, “Wait, sorry, don’t ground me.” He smiled nervously, “I was planning on giving this... _idea_ , I don’t know what to call it, to you for Christmas, but hey, now is a better time than any. It was gonna be a surprise, and it still is, but now it’s all quite sudden, and I don’t…”  
  
Pepper moved closer, and took his hands, squeezing them, “Take a breath, sweetie.” She told him, he chuckled, “Slow down, what are you trying to say?”  
  
“You’re my mum.” Peter sang, “Always have been, but I was just wondering….”  
  
“Sweetheart?”  
  
“Iwantyoutoadoptme.” Peter blurted so fast that the words sounded like intangible noise, but Tony heard him. He was an expert in Peter’s quickened talking sped, he yelped out in awe.   
  
“What was that?” Pepper asked, having not caught his words.  
  
Peter closed his eyes, and let out a slow breath, he smiled, “I want you to adopt me.” He said, taking his time to say the words, and annunciating each word to make sure Pepper heard.  
  
Pepper wasted no time in pulling her son down into a bone-crushing hug, holding him as close as she possibly could.   
  
Tony looked at them, tears swimming in his eyes, he placed a hand over his chest and smiled.   
  
“Um.” Peter hiccuped, “Is this a yes?”  
  
Pepper leaned back, and cupped his chin, “Yes, of course, it is.”  
  
“Awesome.”  
  
Pepper kissed his cheek, “Love you.”  
  
“Love you too.”  
  
Tony walked over, “This is all...cute as…” He didn’t say the next word, as Pepper’s glare warned him not too, “ _Hell_ , but--” He pointed to the door, where the press were eagerly waiting.  
  
“Yeah, we better get in..” Pepper took Peter’s hand, “You coming sweetheart?”  
  
Peter looked down at what he was wearing, “Um, I’m not really dressed for…”  
  
“Who cares?” Tony snorted, “You’re a teen. You look ten times more presentable than I did at any of your grandfather’s press meetings."  
  
“I know that.” Peter mocked.  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, and turned his attention to Pepper, “So, not to step on this moment here, but I mean….” He pointed to Happy, who was still holding onto the ring.  
  
“Oh, shut up.” Pepper pulled on Tony’s jacket, and met him in a kiss, she stepped back, “Yes.”  
  
“Yes?” Tony asked, not able to escape the pure excitement in his tone.  
  
Pepper bit on her bottom lip as she smiled, “Yes.”  
  
“Wow.”   
  
“Let’s get in, then.” Pepper skipped towards the door.  
  
“Want me to get the door for you, hon?” Tony asked, hurrying over, with Peter quick on his tail.  
  
“I got it.” Pepper pulled it open and walked in.  
  
Tony held the door, and ushered Peter in, he then turned and caught the ring as Happy threw it over. Tony caught it with ease and closed the door behind him.  

Everything was finally coming together, after three months of everything almost falling apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached the end of Homecoming! Wow. I am not jumping straight into the pain that is Infinity War, the next update will be filling in the slight gap between Homecoming and Infinity War. 
> 
> A little spoiler for you all, the next chapter is called 'Late Night Nostalgia.' 
> 
> See you there!


	113. Late Night Nostalgia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am currently on holiday, so it will only be two chapters this week instead of the usual four because I have only had the chance to proofread two. The events of Infinity War will begin next Tuesday!

**One Year Later**  
**October 2017**  
  
Peter had suffered his fair share of lectures since he took down Toomes but, at the end of the day, it was worth it. He realized, in his anger, that Tony had been right. Peter had been reckless and stupid, at the time, and Tony had been the logical one, which was saying something. A year on, and he was glad that he went through the ordeal, even the darkest moments, because he grew from his mistakes, to become the hero he was meant to be. Training with Tony, and Rhodey, also gave him the extra push he desperately needed.  
   
“Okay, Karen.” Peter was perched on the edge of a skyscraper, looking down at the city below. The sun had only just gone down, and he wasn’t due back home for another two hours. He had been following a bizarre signal that Karen had tracked, but it came to a stop, just as suddenly as it began, “Where’s the signal now?”  
   
“ _I apologize, Peter, it has stopped.”_ His AI replied, “ _The trail ends in the alleyway below you.”_  
  
Peter swung down to the ground; he scanned the area, on high alert, “What do you think it was?”  
  
_“I can’t say.”_  
  
The hairs on Peter’s arm stood on end, he cautiously turned on his heel, “Is anyone there?”  
   
A figure quickly moved in the shadows, getting closer with every step. Peter automatically jumped into a defensive position, ready for a fight. “Привет, человек-паук.” A familiar voice sang.  
   
Peter’s straightened posture slouched as he let out a long, shaky breath, in complete shock, but utter joy. The air was knocked clean from his lungs as an invisible heavyweight hit his chest, pushing him off quilter. He had imagined this moment, a million times, but he had never truly envisioned how it would feel.  
   
Natasha stepped out of the dark into the light, greeting Peter with an ear-to-ear smile. She looked the same, apart from the fact that her once long red hair, was now platinum blonde, and cut into a bob. That didn’t matter though, she was still his _Auntie Nat_ , and she was there, right in front of him. Peter tore his mask off with a shaking hand, so that she could see him.  
   
He tried to say hello, but his words died instantly. He charged forward, throwing himself around her.  Natasha chuckled lightly, and locked her arms around his back, “Hey.” Peter squealed as he closed his eyes and clung onto her for dear life. He felt like he was eight again, cradled in her arms during the _Stark Expo_ fiasco, it was the same feeling of security, that Peter had missed.  
   
Natasha propped her chin on his shoulder, and rubbed circles on his back, “Hey.” Her voice was welcomingly soft, the tone she reserved only for Peter, and Barton’s children.  
   
Peter swallowed the lump lodged in his throat. He didn’t want to spend their limited time together with gratuitous tears, but the almost two years without her, weighed heavy. He gently pushed against her arms, to look her in the eye, “What are you doing here?”  
   
Her eyes creased in the corner as she chuckled, she absentmindedly ran her hand through his curls, brushing them out of his eyes, “Why’d you think?” She mused, Peter hummed a wet laugh, “I’ve only got half an hour before Sam picks me up.”  
   
“Oh, okay.” Realization hit fast, and he narrowed his eyes, “Wait, you mean _literally_.” He snorted at his own surprise, even though he was Spider-Man, and his family were superheroes, he would often forget how strange their lives were. That was the thing about Peter though, he was ridiculously intuitive but also undeniably dumb.  
   
Natasha rolled her eyes, mid-chuckle, she moved forward, and linked her arm with his.  
   
Peter decided to keep his mask off as they slowly trailed the alleyway, they didn’t have long, and he wanted to spend the time with her as Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. There was no one nearby, and it was a rather desolate area of Queens. He kept the mask clutched in his hand, ready for anything. He knew he was safe though, he had a sixth sense. Also, even without powers, Natasha was Black Widow, Peter predicted she had a similar, though self-trained, sense.  
   
“So...” Natasha started, “What have I missed?”  
   
Peter shrugged, “You know.” He held his hands out in front of him, presenting a graffitied brick wall of New York City, which happened to a mural for him, well for Spider-Man. He knew, technically the art was a crime, but he couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t cool. “The _usual_. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”  
   
Natasha grinned, she stepped over, tracing her hands over the work; she pointed down at the scribbled title of the work, “New York’s web slinger.”  
   
Peter scoffed, trying to act as humble as he could, “Yeah.”  
   
Natasha turned, leaning her back up against the wall, never letting Peter’s arm slip from her grasp, “I keep tabs on Spider-Man.” She told him, she tapped his hand, “I want to know about you.”  
  
Peter sighed a laugh, “I’m good.” It felt amazing to say that, and actually mean it for once. “Life is actually kinda normal for us, apart from this.” He gestured back at the mural, “Um, well, Mum adopted me.”  
   
“Finally.”  
   
“It was about time.” Peter smiled, “And, they’re getting married too, Mum and Dad, next June.”  
   
“I’m glad, they deserve it.”  
   
“Yeah, they do.” He nodded, he watched his aunt nod, signaling for him to continue with his news, “We moved out of the city too, to this lake house, it’s awesome. It’s a little far away and I have to get up at like half five for school, but I love it.”  
   
“Why'd you move?”  
   
Peter’s face softened, and he focused on the ground below his feet, “City got too loud, for all of us.”  
  
Natasha nodded, understandably, “A lake house though? Seems pretty domestic for Tony’s standards.”  
  
Peter dipped his chin to his chest as he laughed, “It’s got a Stark twist, we built a series of labs underneath.”  
   
“Of course, you did.”  
   
“It’s insane!” Peter exclaimed, “Like something straight out of Phineas and Ferb.”  
   
“You like it there?”  
   
“Yeah.” Peter smiled, because he didn’t just like it there, he loved it. It had been an unexpected move, but the greatest decision they had ever made, “It feels like home.”  
   
Natasha’s face paled at the mention of home. Peter wished to comfort her, but he didn’t understand how it felt, being on the run. He knew the story of Natasha’s past, and how the team were her family, her home. She spent her entire life searching for one, and it was ripped away just when it was within her reach.  
   
“I missed you though.” Peter added, pulling her closer. Even though the lake house was perfect, Peter would never be the same without the team, and neither would Tony.  
   
“Missed you too.” She mirrored nudging her shoulders against his, “So, anything else?”  
  
Peter wanted to make her laugh, so he was glad when a certain thought crossed his mind, “Well, Dad brought an alpaca, his name’s Gerald, he’s cool.”  
   
“That's...” Natasha trailed off as she shook her head, “ _So_ Tony.”  
   
“It really is.” Peter waited for their laughter to die down, before shuffling closer, “How are you?” The question seemed reductant, but it happened to be asked, sooner rather than later.  
   
“I’m good.” She lied with her telling brittle smile, “Being on the run, it’s, second nature. It’s hard, but Sam definitely lightens the mood.”  
   
“I bet he does.”  
  
An awkward silence flew over the pair, Peter mentally kicked himself for asking the question. He came to the painful realization that this would probably be the last time they saw each other for a while, and he didn’t want to waste the only time they had left with talk of Natasha being on the run. It was an inevitable topic of conversation as it was the reason they had been separated, but Peter wished they could forget about it.  
   
“Peter…” Natasha said gently, her trembling voice gave away what she was about to say, Peter had never heard her so hesitant to say something, “Steve wanted me--”  
   
“Please…” Peter interrupted, “Please don’t, not now.”  
   
Natasha relaxed, “I won’t.”  
   
“Thanks.”  
   
“I’m sorry.” She muttered, “That I didn’t come sooner.”  
   
“It’s okay, I understand.” He told her, “Hey, I loved your package.”  
   
It had been over a year since she sent it, but it was the last contact she had been able to make, “The Rubik's cube?”  
  
“It was nice to know that you were safe.”  
   
Natasha tightened the hold around his hand, “I guess I’m lucky that I see Spider-Man everywhere. I always know you’re safe.”  
   
“Yeah.”  
   
“I will try--”  
   
Peter held up his hand, shushing her. He leaned forward, listening out, as his senses screamed for him to move, and surveillance the alleyway to their left.  
   
“Peter, what is it?”  
   
“I don’t know.” Peter understood that his powers were unique to him, and he was more than lucky to have them, but he wished sometimes they were helpful. Sometimes an inkling was not enough.  
   
He edged forward, cautiously approaching the corner. Natasha grabbed his hand, it felt strange at first, like when a parent holds their child’s hand when they cross a road.  _Yes_ , Natasha was a trained assassin with unbridled bravery, but when it came to her nephews, and niece, she was just an overprotective aunt.  
   
Peter, regrettably, had to let go. He could see the alarm in Natasha’s eyes when he did, he quickly pulled his mask over his face, and stopped, scanning the darkened path for a reason. A reason for why his powers had warned him of potential danger.  
   
He noticed a cardboard box down on the ground a few paces away, he approached it, Natasha followed closely behind. Peter crouched down, and opened the box, his fear faded away. Inside, was a kitten, with ginger and white fur, and wide green eyes, “Oh, hey there.” Peter carefully scooped the kitten up into his arms, he could see a baby blue blanket underneath, but that was it, “Look.”

“Oh.” Natasha pressed a hand against Peter’s back.  
   
“I can’t believe someone would just abandon him here.” Peter said, gently stroking the cat’s fur.  
   
Natasha smiled mischievously, “You know, if your dad can have an alpaca….”  
  
“Oh, I’m totally taking him home.” Peter told her, “But I can’t just swing there, it will scare him. I’ll call Happy to pick me up.”

* * *

Peter quickly phoned Happy, who dropped everything to come and get him. Happy had a cold exterior, but he would always answer the call for Peter, or Tony. Peter skipped over to where Natasha was stood, cradling the abandoned kitten in her arms.  
   
“Happy will be here in five.” He told her, he pulled his mask off, and placed it over his shoulder. The cat bounced out of Natasha’s arms into Peter’s comforting hold, “Hey.”  
   
“Somebody’s got a favourite.” Natasha gently stroked her fingers across the kitten’s head, she gestured up to the sky, “I need to meet Sam.” She said, regret echoing in her tone, “It was really good to see, Peter.”  
   
Peter smiled, even though on inside he was screaming to be selfish, to tell her to stay, but he would rather put the pretense that he was okay, than fight and make it harder on both of them. He knew, if he begged, she’d stay and not care about spending the rest of her days in the raft. He couldn’t do that to her, “It was good to see you too.”  
   
“Hey.” She placed her finger underneath his chin and pushed up his head so that he looked her in the eye, “I’ll be back.”  
   
“I know.”  
   
Natasha threaded her fingers in the kitten’s fur again, “What are you calling this one?”  
   
“Umm.” Peter hadn’t thought of that, he’d never really had a pet before. Yes, they had Gerald, but at the end of the day, that was Tony’s decision. “I’m not sure. Any ideas?”  
   
A thought sparked in Natasha’s mind, he could see it reflected in his eyes, “What about Ernő?”  
   
“Ernő Stark?” Peter grinned, “Yeah, I like it.” He broke down in a fit of laughter, “Wait, wait, isn’t that the guy who invented the Rubik’s cube?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
Peter shook his head, “It’s perfect.”  
   
“I know.” Natasha leaned forward, and pressed a kiss against Peter’s forehead, “Okay, I better get going.”  
   
Peter’s chin trembled as he smiled, “Love you.”  
   
“...Love you too.”

* * *

Peter arrived home, with a skip in his step, and Ernő held in his arms. He tiptoed and was as quiet as he could be, which was hard for a clumsily teen, “I’m home!” He called out, keeping his voice soft.  
   
“Was that Happy?” Tony asked, as he bounced up from the couch to greet Peter.  
   
“Yeah.” Peter bounced Ernő, “He dropped _us_ off.”  
  
Tony quickened his pace as he circled around to meet them, “Us? What do you mean us?” He stopped in his tracks, “Oh.”  
   
“Yeah.”  
   
“I’ve gotta say.” Tony clapped his hands together, “I’m pretty glad. When Happy drops you off, you are usually bleeding.”  
   
“Bleeding?” Pepper squealed as she hurried down the stairs, “Who’s bleeding?”  
  
“No one.” Tony reassured her, he pointed over, “Look.”  
   
Pepper jumped down and followed his gaze. Her face softened at the sight of Peter, and Ernő, she hurried over to their side, “Oh, isn’t he adorable?” She stroked her hand through his fur,  “Who’s this?”  
  
“Ernő.” Peter darted his eyes up to Tony, who smiled knowingly, “I found him, he was abandoned. Can I…”  
   
“Um…” Tony scrunched up his face, “Well…”  
   
“Yes.” Pepper answered, “If Gerald can stay, so can Ernő.”  
   
“I was joking.” Tony said pressing a hand against his chest, “Of course, Ernő can stay.” Pepper stepped past Tony as she skipped towards the living room, “Hey, if you’ve got a problem with Gerald, you could just say so.” Tony argued as he followed behind.  
   
“Oh, I have, many _many_ times.”  
   
“Come on, Pep, he loves you.”  
   
Peter was sure that this was the happiest he had felt in a long time, seeing Natasha again, that made his day. And his pretty ordinary week was tied together with a bow, as he listened to his parents playfully bicker about Gerald, while Ernő purred, and sleepily curled up against Peter’s collarbone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed this chapter when the deleted scenes for Endgame were released, and I added Tony's beloved alpaca. 
> 
> Besides Peter's relationship with Tony and Pepper, Auntie Nat has no competition! 
> 
> Ernő is one of my favourite OGs to this series, and he will play a significate role in the rest of this fanfiction.
> 
> I decided that Pepper, Tony and Peter moved into the lakeside cabin just before the events of Infinity War. I would explain my reasoning behind this, but it would be a spoiler, so I will not! 
> 
> The next chapter will be out this Thursday!


	114. The Ordinary Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before we start Infinity War. 
> 
> Thank you, to all, and every one of you. I can't believe you've all stuck around. I hope you enjoy (and cry) at what I have in store for you over the next few weeks.

** Six Months Later **  
** April 2018 **

The sound of Ernő clawing at his bedroom door woke Peter before his alarm even had the chance too. He stretched his arms up over his head and rolled over to check the time on his bedside clock. He only had forty-five minutes before his alarm went off, but Ernő wasn’t going to let him wait. The kitten switched from scratching the door frame to meowing softly, the sound that never failed to melt Peter’s heart.  
  
Peter swung his legs over the side of the bed, and frowned, “I’m coming, Ernő.” He slipped his feet into his slippers and shuffled over, opening the door. Ernő moved close, and brushed against his legs, purring as he went, “How did you get locked out, hey?” Peter reached down, and picked him up, “I left my door open for you.” Peter skipped toward the end of the corridor, but stopped at the top of the stairs, noticing that the kitchen light was shining.  
  
He thought it would be Tony if his dad suffered a night terror, or couldn’t push past his insomnia, he’d come down to the kitchen for his morning coffee. Peter knew that was unhealthy, a habit Tony should learn to kick, but they had held dozens of interventions, but it never worked. Pepper even dared to switch it out for decaf once, and Tony had vowed never to speak to her again, but that only lasted two hours because he missed speaking to her.  
  
Peter hurried down the stairs but was surprised that it was not Tony sat at the breakfast bar, it was Pepper.   
  
She was still in her pyjamas, with her head held in her hands, she stared down at her tablet which was laid out in front of her. She had a glass of water and a half-eaten slice of toast on a plate. These were her _tell-tell_ signs that she was sick, and Peter was preparing to carry her up to her bed, if needs be.  
  
Pepper was hardly unwell, and when she was, she was worse than Tony. She acted like the flu or a stomach bug was just a minor inconvenience during her busy workday.  
  
“Uh, Mum?” Peter greeted softly, “Are you okay?”   
  
Pepper didn’t even flinch which was strange because she was usually on high alert. _Something was definitely wrong._  
  
Peter placed Ernő on the surface and circled around. He cautiously pressed a gentle hand on Pepper's shoulder, she jumped back, her chair scraping across the floor, the high pitched squeal sent a shiver up Peter’s spine. It was too early in the morning for annoying sounds that send Peter’s powers haywire. He gripped tightly onto Pepper’s upper arm, making sure she didn’t fall back of the stool.  
  
“Hey, sorry.” He let go of her arm as he could feel her trembling underneath his touch, he could sense her anxiety. Pepper, like Tony and Peter, had suffered from panic attacks before too, and Peter knew exactly what to do, and what not to do. “It’s just me, Mum, and Ernő. That’s it, no one else here, but us.”  
  
Pepper reached forward, and gripped his hand, before dipping her chin to her chest, “Morning sweetheart.” She said breathlessly, “Sorry.” She sucked in a sharp breath, and looked up at him, “I’m okay.”  
  
“Are you sure?” He placed his hand back on her arm, he pulled up a chair and sat beside her. Pepper wiped a hand over her face, and hummed to herself, “Mum?”  
  
Pepper blinked away tears and smiled, even though she was crying, Peter could tell that the smile was undoubtedly real, “I’m fine, baby.”  
  
“You look…” Peter narrowed his eyes, he thought long and hard about what to say. Pepper even tilted her head to the side, and raised her eyebrows, “Sick.”   
  
“I’m not.” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”  
  
“Like what?” Peter asked, knowing it was probably something about work and she just needed to rant to someone about it. He was fine with being the buffer between Pepper’s home life, and work-life, he lived for the Stark Industries gossip and scandals.  
  
Pepper bit her lip, and shook her head, turning away.  Ernő moved closer, and she brushed her hand through his fur as she tapped her heel against the back of her stool in a repetitive manner. She muttered intangible words under her breath, Peter had never seen her like this before in his life.   
  
He wondered what sparked her sudden change in mood. For a few days, she had been acting a little off, but this was next level. Pepper seemed to always have her head screwed on properly, but not now.   
  
There were too many conflicting emotions etched over her face, and Peter couldn’t fathom what was wrong, or, _what was right._  
  
“Mum?” He nudged her shoulder, “You’re kind of freaking me out.”  
  
“Sorry.” Pepper swallowed, “I’m okay, just...I’m all good.”  
  
Peter nodded, knowing he couldn’t pry any further, “You know I’ll always listen if you wanna talk.” He jumped down from the chair, he yawned, “I’ve got to get ready. It’s the trip to MoMA _today_.”   
  
He tried to pull away to feed Ernő first before going upstairs to get changed, but Pepper pulled his arm back, desperation swimming in her eyes, pleading with him to stay. It didn’t seem that she knew what she was doing.   
  
“Mum?”  
  
Pepper looked up, wearing a slight smile, and wide eyes, full to the brim with tears, “I’m pregnant.”  
  
Peter could have spent the whole day or week, drawing up a list of things that Pepper wasn’t telling him but his mind would have never gone there, even if his heart had, a long time ago. He had always wanted a little brother or sister but he thought the idea was a fantasy. Even as the words crossed Pepper’s lips, it still felt fake, like he was dreaming.   
  
He let out a prolonged nervous chuckle, “What?” He hiccuped, his voice unnaturally high. “What? Wait, _what_? Really? Are you telling the truth right now, or is this a joke? Cause I have no idea how to react to either.”  
  
Pepper reached over, and cupped a hand over his mouth, shushing him. He could tell by her paled expression, that she hadn’t planned to tell him this, but he could also see that this was true. She was pregnant.  
  
Peter choked out a half-laugh, half-sob, his heart melted at the idea of a younger sibling. Someone he could tease, and love, with everything he had, “Wow.” He threw himself around Pepper, “So awesome.” Pepper hummed a chuckle and locked her fingers together behind his back.  
  
“He doesn’t know yet.” She muttered into his collarbone, Peter pushed back, looking at her with a mischievous grin, “What?”  
  
“You told me...before Dad?” He snorted, “That’s brilliant.”   
  
“I didn’t mean to.” She admitted,  “I just needed someone to know, but shit, you’re rubbish with secrets.”  
  
“Um.” Peter held his hands up in front of him, “I’m-”  
  
“Spider-Man?” Pepper finished unimpressed, “Nearly everyone you know knows that.”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes as he nodded in acknowledgement because she wasn’t entirely wrong, “I will keep this secret, promise.” He sighed, “This is so...awesome.”  
  
“Yeah.” She bit her lip, and rested her chin on her hand, “It really is.”  
  
“I’ve always wanted to be a big brother.” He beamed, “So, what about Dad? How you gonna tell him?”  
  
“I’ll tell him tonight.” She told him, “You think he’s gonna freak out?”  
  
“Mum, this is Dad.”  Peter scoffed, he held his hand back to the kitchen cabinet, “He freaked out when they changed the recipe for Cocoa Krispies but didn’t freak out when Disney bought out those Iron Man toys in the wrong colour, so there’s no saying.”  
  
Pepper snickered, a weight had definitely shifted off her shoulders, “It’s a big change.”

“The biggest but you did it with me.” Peter shrugged, “You’re still doing it with me.”  
  
“Doing what?”  
  
Peter grinned,  “Being the best, most badass, mum ever.”   
  
“Hm.” She brushed a hand through his messy hair, “Can I hear more?”   
  
“Maybe after MoMA ‘cause I need to get ready.” He pressed a kiss against her cheek, and skipped over to the stairs, “Um, I can’t believe…” He turned on his heel, “This is insane.”   
  
“You think we’re ready?”  
  
“No.” Peter laughed, “But we’ll be okay.”  
  
Pepper went to answer, but the floorboard creaked, and a sleepy Tony skipped down, “What are you two babbling on about?”   
  
“Nothing.” Peter said quickly, “Just…”  
  
“Peter’s field trip.” Pepper saved.  
  
“Yep, that.”   
  
“Oh, yeah.” Tony nudged Peter’s shoulder, “You better go and get ready then because, kid, you still smell like sewage.”  
  
Peter's face flushed red, “That was two weeks ago!” He hadn’t meant to fall into a sewer, it just happened.  
  
“And?” Tony teased, Peter glared at him, “I’m joking, I’m joking.” He kissed Peter’s temple as a form of apology, he playfully pushed against his back, “Now go.”   
  
“I’m going!” Peter skipped up the stairs, he shared one more knowing glance with Pepper, before turning away, “Somebody feed Ernő for me, please!”   
  
He charged towards his room and started to think of baby names that he could use to pester Pepper all morning on his bus journey. He smiled, knowing that nothing could possibly ruin his day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Peter to know about Morgan before Endgame in my version of events because it has helped make future chapters angsty as hell (sorry guys!)
> 
> We never had a timeline for Morgan, but I have always predicted that Pepper was pregnant at the start of Infinity War (maybe she knew, maybe she didn't) because Morgan looked to be around four, and it was only five years later. Whatever the truth is, this is my canon.
> 
> See you again this Tuesday...


	115. Amateurs At War (IW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that from now on (ha) I will not be uploaded two chapters on both Tuesday and Thursday, instead, I will upload two chapters a week. One on Tuesdays and one on Thursdays. It's a better upload schedule, and it's less messy. This was my first, long (50k+) fanfiction, and I know I've made a few mistakes with how I have uploaded it, but hey, we all learn from our mistakes. So, after a lot of thought, this seems like a better plan of action. 
> 
> And, anyway, this chapter is my longest one yet, so hey! You still get two for the price of one ;)

Peter didn’t care about his field trip, which was strange, because for two weeks, it had been all he had spoken about with his friends, but it seemed dull in comparison to the joy he felt knowing that he was going to be an older brother. The bus was filled with rowdy teenagers, who were all too spritely and energetic for a Monday morning. Peter didn’t care, usually, the sound would overload his senses, but he was able to block that out, as he spent the journey researching baby names and sending them to Pepper. 

Thankfully, Ned sat in front of him on the bus, stuck in his own little world. Peter would love to blurt out everything he was feeling, but he couldn’t, _not yet_. He would have to patiently wait to tell his friends and he knew that it would be months, but he had been able to keep his identity secret for six months, he could do this. Peter was relieved that MJ was on the other bus because she would know that he was hiding something, and the way she tilted her head to her shoulder and glared at him, through narrowed eyes, made him melt and he would admit the truth in a second. He still had no idea how he hadn’t accidentally told her about Spider-Man yet, it was a miracle.  
  
Peter was half-way through his billionth text to Pepper, when his perfect day took an unexpected dark turn; his stomach churned and the hairs on his arms stood on edge. He dropped his phone onto his lap and he moved his hand to cover his arm, he reluctantly turned to look out the window. Hovering over the city was a ringlike spaceship, Peter knew the threat was serious, but his first thought was that the ship resembled a doughnut.  
  
Peter’s shoulders deflated and he let out a solemn sigh. Usually, he would be more than eager to hop off the bus and swing over to help, but today, he didn’t want to. He wanted to relax and spent the day being excited about being an older brother. Nevertheless, he was going to go because this was his neighbourhood and he vowed to protect it. He soon remembered that his parents were in the middle of it, on their usual early morning run. Tony would already be on the front line and Pepper would hopefully be somewhere safe by now.  
  
Everyone else on the bus were too engrossed with their conversations and cell phones, so they hadn’t even noticed yet. Peter had to admit that New York had grown unnervingly comfortable with alien invasions, but at the same time, it didn’t mean that people should be this unbelievably ignorant.  
  
He had to do something, he kept his eye on his classmates as he leaned forward and tapped Ned’s arm, he moved to hit his shoulder and cheek, frantically attempting to gain his attention. He resorted to pulling out his earbud, “Ned, hey.” He said softly, though his voice trembled at the prospect of coming face to face with aliens.   
  
As Spider-Man, he had only faced people. When he was ten, he had briefly come face-to-face with the Chitauri, but even now as a superhero, that memory still terrified him. But, he had to take a stand, he couldn’t watch people get hurt when he could do something about it.   
  
Ned finally turned to look at him, “I need you to cause a distraction.” Peter pleaded, hoping his friend would pick up on his anxieties.   
  
Ned did exactly that, “Holy shit!” He stumbled to his feet, Peter absentmindedly balled his hand around Ned’s hoodie, as he moved away. Peter needed to go, his senses were screaming for him to get off the bus, but he hated leaving his best friend, on the outskirts of an alien invasion. It was a heavyweight on his chest, but one he had to learn to deal with.  
  
“We're all gonna die!” Ned exclaimed, everyone looked at him like he was insane, but they soon saw what he did, and jumped up, screaming among themselves, “There's a spaceship!” Peter kept his eyes on his friend until he slipped away into the crowd of teenagers all huddled together towards the rear end of the bus. Ned kept shouting as loudly as he possibly could, and _yes_ , perhaps he was a little too animated, but Peter loved him for it because it gave him time to escape unnoticed.  
  
Peter shoved his cell back into his backpack and took out his web-shooters, he slapped them onto his wrists. He made sure his classmates weren’t looking his way, before connecting a line of web to the emergency exit window handle, he pulled it open.  He rushed over the aisle and leapt out of the window, he clung onto the outside of the bus.  
  
“What’s the matter with you kids? You’ve never seen a spaceship before?” The bus driver sang to the startled group of teens; Peter let out a small breathless chuckle, as he covered his face with the Spider-Man mask, he wished he could be that optimistically blasé about an extraterrestrial threat. _What had New York become?_ Peter was no one to talk, he was part of the superhero world, and was the only one on that bus, who understood what was happening.  
  
This was the _endgame_. The one his dad had warned the team about after he invented Ultron; Peter didn’t want to admit to that, but he knew that this was it. This was the fight that Tony had attempted to prepare everyone for, and they had not listened.   
  
Peter grabbed his backpack, closed the window and leapt off the bus, he swung under the Queensboro Bridge, and headed toward the city, towards the danger. He hoped, no matter how daunting this was, that they could stop this. He wanted to remember this as a great day, with just the minor inconvenience of a hostile alien invasion.  
  
He landed on a rooftop, he quickly tore off his clothes and put his suit on, “ _Hey, Peter.”_ Karen greeted, “ _You should be on your way to the Museum of Modern Art. Is this unauthorised activity to do with the spaceship that is currently hovering over Manhattan?_ ”  
  
“Yes.” Peter rolled his eyes as he bounced over to the ledge, “What do you know?” He jumped down onto the street below, civilians were clumsily running around, bumping into each other, screaming as they went.   
  
“ _Friday has initiated evac on forth-third street_.”   
  
“Got it.” Peter scanned the area to make sure he helped those who needed it most. He helped a few civilians who had been knocked over during the chaos, he informed as many people as he could about the evacuation.   
  
He headed toward the epicentre of the fight, knowing that was where he was truly needed.  
  
“ _Pepper Potts has sent you a message. Should I reroute to your heads-up display_?”   
  
Peter sprinted across a rooftop, he slowed down at the mention of Pepper, “Yes, please.”   
  
**Mum 9:47:** Be careful.  
  
Peter’s heart fluttered, those words were heavy because they had two meanings. The obvious truth was just her, telling him to stay safe as he launched himself into this fight. The second, was the cold-stone truth, that he tried his best not to concentrate on, but he could feel the anxiety she felt went she sent that message. His parents had not done a good job of hiding the fact that they preferred it when he spent his afternoon patrols helping elderly people across the street or saving kittens from trees. This threat was a long way from that, the stakes were high, higher than anything Peter had faced before.  
  
He knew how strong Pepper had to be to send that message, when in reality, she wanted him home, by her side where she could keep him safe, especially considering Tony was also out there.  
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, thinking about what to do next. The screams of civilians beneath his feet answered his question for him, he had to keep going, even if he wanted to run back.   
  
“Karen, tell her that ‘ _I will be_.’” He swung over to another roof, as Karen responded for him, “And hide all future messages, please.” He followed Friday’s signal, the location kept changing rapidly, it seemed like Tony was being tossed around by whoever had descended onto the city.  
  
The signal finally calmed for a second and gave Peter enough time to catch up with his dad. Tony was somewhere over, or in, Washington Square Park _._  Peter landed on the edge of a building, to give himself a few moments of surveillance time, to see what his best possible move was.  
  
The air was knocked clean from his lungs when his eyes spotted a familiar face but, _no_ , that was impossible. Bruce was there, one of Peter’s many honourable uncles (well, one of those he still _trusted_ with that title _._ )  
  
He hadn’t seen him in years, and he had painfully accepted the fact that he never would again, but he was wrong because there he was. _Alive_ , crouched down on the ground, talking to himself. So, _nothing had really changed_ , apart from a few grey hairs. Peter’s mouth twitched into a smile, aside from the current invasion, today was shaping up to be a pretty good day.  
  
That optimism was pulled from underneath his feet when he noticed the fight occurring a few paces away from Bruce.   
  
Tony was fighting something, well, _someone_. The creature was built like the Hulk, though his skin was scaly, and he was dressed in armour. He was a footsoldier, Peter could tell by the way he was fighting. Peter quickly named him ‘Bad-Hulk’ because he needed a name to match to the enemy before he swung in there without a plan.  
  
The alien was holding onto a large axe-like weapon, that he was swinging haphazardly in an attempt to hit Tony. Peter swung forward, sensing what was going to happen next. Tony was down on his hands and knees attempting to move away and get ready for the next bout. He was recovering from a heavy blow. Similarly to his son, Tony didn’t give up when innocent people were in danger, but he was disoriented and unaware that the beast was lowering its hammer, about to deliver the killing blow.   
  
Peter moved faster than he ever had before, and he got there, in the nick of time. With ease, he caught the creature’s weapon before it had the chance to strike Tony, he leaned his head out to look the beast in the eyes, “Hey, man.” He sang, masking his anxiety with his signature exuberant, borderline sing-songy voice. He swiftly turned back to check on Tony, “What’s up, Dad?”   
  
Tony flipped around, Peter couldn’t see his face because it was hidden behind the mask, but he could imagine his shock, “Bud! Shouldn’t you be on the--”  
  
“Bus, yeah I was--” The creature wrapped its hand around Peter, and tossed him aside, he screeched as he shored through the air. He crashed landed and rolled a few times before settling on the ground, next to a water fountain. He muttered an expletive under his breath, hoping his dad did not hear him, that concern seemed pretty funny, considering the situation they were in.  
  
Peter was back on his feet faster than he was knocked off them, in the millisecond that he had to collect his thoughts, he remembered that when they were out in public as Iron Man and Spider-Man, he was supposed to refer to his dad as ‘Mr. Stark’ because it kept up appearances and stopped the media from working out who he was.   
  
He bounced into action, using a nearby tree as a guide, “What’s this guy's problem, _Mr. Stark_?” He asked, as Tony circled the creature, trying to take it down with his blasters.   
  
“Uh. he’s from space. He came to steal a necklace from a wizard.”  Tony explained, Peter took his word as gospel, but even by their standards, that was unbelievable.  
  
Aliens? _Yes_. Enhanced people? _Yes_. Wizards? _Yes_. Peter felt like all his childhood dreams and nightmares, had all revealed themselves as truths. Nothing was impossible anymore.  
  
Peter tried to attack the _Bad-Hulk_ (he needed to think of a better name) from behind. Unfortunately, it seemed the beast also had a sixth sense, as it swung its weapon, and caught Peter with it, trapping him inside the contraption. Peter sucked in a sharp breath, winded by the blunt hit to his ribcage.   
  
The weapon extended, and the creature swung him around, “Hey, hey, hey!” Peter tried to wiggle free but to no prevail, he felt like he was stuck on the Waltzers. Peter was released, and sent flying back again; Bad-Hulk tossed the tail end of a cab, Peter was able to web up the cab and hurdle it back towards the unexpecting creature. It hit him in the head and gave Tony the perfect opportunity to target it again.  
  
“Kid, you all right?” Tony yelled over as he pushed the creature back with a shield created by nanotechnology.  
  
Peter gulped, as he fell back onto his heels, preparing for the next round, “Yeah, I’m good! You?”  
  
“Fine.” Tony grunted as he pushed against the creature’s hand, “Why’d you ask?”  
  
Before Peter had the chance to say anything else, a man wrapped in a red cloak flew by, Peter narrowed his eyes as he watched him go, that was not something he saw every day, even in New York. “Kid!” Tony exclaimed over the deafening sound of his blasters, “That’s the wizard! Get on it!”  
  
“On it!” Peter followed behind the unconscious floating wizard and an alien that shared an uncanny likeness with Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants. 

He tried to close the distance between them, he just needed to get the wizard and get to safety. It sounded easy, but then he realised that Squidward was using telekinesis, which frankly, was blatant cheating.  
  
The alien sent a billboard flying back, it hit Peter, but he used it to his advantage and leapt off it, “Not cool!”  
  
Squidward used his powers to bend a bunch of streetlamps together to narrow the wizard’s path. Peter watched as the cloak became stuck between two lampposts, leaving the wizard unprotected. {eterleapt forward, and caught the wizard with a web before Squidward had the chance to catch him, “Gotcha!” Peter changed his direction and focused on getting back to his dad.  
  
His victory was short-lived, as a blue beam from the overhead ship caught the wizard and started pulling him up.  Peter was not giving up that easily, his dad had been afraid of this day for six years, it couldn’t end with them losing to the opposing team if they did, _what was the point of Tony suffering for so long?_ If they lost, _was it the team’s fault for not listening to his warnings?_  
  
Peter webbed up a streetlamp, and held onto it with all the strength he had while trying to hang onto to the wizard at the same time. His eyes widened at the sight of the cloak flying up. it was definitely not the wind. Wizards and aliens, Peter could deal with. Sentient pieces of cloth is where he had to draw the line, but there was one, right above him.  
  
The streetlight was torn from its home in the ground, and before Peter knew it, he was following the wizard and cloak into the jaws of the war, “Uh, Dad--I mean, uh---!” He cried, utterly helpless, “Mr. Stark! I’m being beamed up!”  
  
“ _Hold on, bud!_ ” Tony’s panicked voice cracked through the comms.  
  
Hold on. Peter could do that, he held on plenty of times before when his life was on the line. Like, when he and Pepper were left dangling two-hundred feet over a fire during their battle with the Mandarin, or the time he clung onto the side of a plane trying to take down the Vulture. Holding on was easy because it was second nature to Peter. Something more sickening was also second nature to him, the common aftermath of holding on for too long: _falling_. Peter was accustomed to falling, emotionally as well as physically.   
  
He had never been this high before, or as terrified to fall. Half-way up, the wizard was torn from his grasp, and he didn’t have the strength to get him back. At the top, he webbed up the side of the ship, and shored over, landing on the inside of the disk. He stuck to it, holding on for dear life, as he waited for Tony to catch up with them.  
  
He pressed his forehead against the ship and let out a heavy shaky breath. This was not what Pepper meant by ‘be careful.’ Actually, it was the polar opposite.  
  
_I’m okay,_ he repeated the phrase, like a mantra, clinging to it with all the hope he had left. _I’m okay. Dad will catch me. He always catches me. He will never let me fall._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Amateurs at War' was, of course, inspired by the brilliant 'Mars' by Sleeping at Last. This Thursday's chapter is called, 'Strangers To Suffering' which follows on directly from the line. You've got to love Sleeping At Last inspired titles.
> 
> Anyway, here you go! Infinity War starts now, and I will apologise now for upcoming angst.
> 
> To all those who plan to read the alternative happy ending, you can keep reading for now, when it's time to switch over, I will link the happier ending in the notes!


	116. Strangers To Suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in uploading, hopefully, it never happens again! Anyway, better late than never :)

Tony knew that he would protect the world until his last breath. That was the vow he made when he became Iron Man, he had to put people first, and himself last, no matter how much it hurt. For six years, he had feared this war, and he had tried his best to prepare for it but had failed. Thanos was the one behind all of this. Tony couldn’t tell if it was a relief or a burden, to finally have a name to match to his nightmares.

Thanos was an all-powerful entity, he had the power to control anyone and everyone, even Loki. What did that mean for people like Tony? Or Peter? 

Tony didn’t know the answer, and right now, he didn’t care. _Yes_ , he would lay down his life for the world, for the universe, but he would willingly watch it burn, or be the one to set it ablaze, for Peter. Tony had seen the stars, and walked the earth, but nothing would ever compare to his son.   
  
Tony didn’t care about Doctor Strange, or the time stone, because they weren’t important anymore. Screw the universe, because Peter was also on that ship. The only reason he was up there, holding on for dear life, was because Tony sent him after Strange.   
  
Regret clawed at Tony’s chest, making it hard to breathe. He shouldn’t have let Peter fight, as soon as he arrived, he should have sent him home. Peter was still young, he was only just finding his feet as Spider-Man and he was not ready to face an enemy that had haunted Tony for six years. Tony couldn’t take it back now, because Peter was involved, and was on a spaceship, which had begun to take off.   
  
If he didn’t act now, his son would die, and for Tony, that was a fate worse than death. Peter was intuitive and incredibly intelligent, and one day, he would give Tony a run for his money. But, even the brightest minds, can’t function when they are deprived of oxygen. Peter wouldn’t be thinking logically, he wouldn’t have the willpower to web himself up to the side of the ship.   
  
Right now, Peter wasn’t Spider-Man, he was just a kid, waiting to be rescued by his dad.  
  
Tony didn't have long, and he was still on the ground in hand-to-hand combat with a member of Thanos’ army. Tony’s mind was clouded by thoughts of Peter. He didn’t have time to retaliate, when the creature’s weapon locked around the Iron Man armour, imprisoning him; he landed on his back, unable to escape the restraints.   
  
The creature’s armour, suddenly, produced a sword. _Shit_. Tony was definitely not prepared for that twist. This couldn’t happen, he couldn’t lose like this, especially not when Peter’s life was in the balance. He tried to pull against the restraints, but nothing worked. The beast lunged for him, it threw its arm back, ready to deliver the killing blow. Tony attempted to roll over, but he was locked in place.  
  
His heart leapt up into his throat when a portal opened in front of him and swallowed the creature. He still had time, he could save Peter. He pushed himself back onto his feet and tried to escape from the restraints.  
  
Wong, Strange’s partner in crime, had been the one to open the portal and stop the creature. The mystic closed the portal, and for good measure, he chopped the beast’s arm off.   
  
Bruce recoiled in disgust, “Whoa.” He kicked the disregarded arm away, in Tony’s direction. If Tony wasn’t distracted by his debilitating concern for Peter, he would have probably made a sly comment at Bruce’s actions.   
  
Instead, as he escaped the restraints, he settled for the only comment that came to mind, “Wong, you’re invited to my wedding.” Tony sped up, making a beeline for the ship, his mind fixated on saving Peter.   
  
“Give me a little juice, Friday.” His suit’s thrusts morphed into a single jet and propelled him up towards the ship.  
  
Even with the extra help, he still wasn’t close enough and it wouldn't be long until the spaceship broke the atmosphere. Peter only had seconds.  
  
Panic crept up Tony’s spine, “Unlock 17-A.” _Please, get here in time. Please._

“Pete, you gotta let go. I’m gonna catch you.” Tony said, trying to sound determined and strong, for Peter’s sake, but his fear was blatant.  
  
Peter was latched onto the outside of the ship, hanging on with the little strength he had left, “But you said save the wizard!” He shouted back, his voice strained by the lack of oxygen making it into his lungs.   
  
Tony watched, utterly helpless, as Peter pulled off his mask, and desperately gasped for air.  
  
“I can’t breathe!” Peter yelped, now only hanging onto the ship with one hand as his other flopped back, dropping his mask.  
  
Whenever Peter had an anxiety attack, Tony knew what he had to do: he had to kneel in front of him, get him to copy his breathing, and most importantly, tell him the _truth._ Peter could read Tony, like a book, and could tell when he was lying. If, during an attack, Tony gave his son false hope, _a twisted truth_ , Peter would only panic more. So, Tony made sure he explicitly told the truth, even if it was brutal, because Peter would trust him, and that that trust helped Peter overcome his attacks.  
  
This was far from a panic attack, but at the same time, it stood on the same principle. Peter was struggling to breathe, and to think logically; he was waiting for Tony to catch him. To save him.  
  
To keep Peter calm, Tony had to use the same tactic, he had to tell the truth, even though it was terrifying, “You're too high up. You're running out of air.”  
  
“Yeah,” Peter hiccuped into the thinning air, “That makes sense.” 17-A shot past Tony, heading for Peter.   
  
Tony watched powerlessly, as Peter let out one last strained gasp, and fell. Tony fought against the bile rising in his throat at the sight of his son, free-falling. He couldn’t catch him, not this time, he had to rely on his tech, and Friday, to do it instead, and that hurt like hell. Tony was reminded of that fateful day when he entered the wormhole and didn’t know if he was coming back or not. That fear was unprecedented, but also justified. Tony had been _right_. He knew this was going to happen, he had feared this endgame for six years, and all the team had ever done, was roll their eyes and plug their ears.  
  
Tony couldn’t concentrate on his resentment or his anger, but watching his son fall, reminded him that he foresaw Thanos, years ago.   
  
This time, Tony wasn’t the one falling. Peter was.   
  
Tony wasn’t an idiot, he knew that Peter wasn’t a stranger to suffering, and he had faced his own battles and had his own demons. This was different. This was the agony that had been silently tearing Tony apart, from the inside out, for six years. He couldn’t let Peter get tangled up in this more than he already was.   
  
Tony watched on, as the Iron Spider suit hit Peter’s back, and began to form around his old suit, shielding him in a metallic-shell. It was built like the Iron Man suit, but with upgrades to match Peter’s chosen persona.   
  
Peter twisted in the sky, as oxygen was reintroduced to his lungs. The suit quickly connected to the side of the ship. Peter absentmindedly stood in his Spider-Man stance, “Dad! It smells like a new car in here!” He shouted, the usual exuberance in his tone returned, which brought a smile to Tony’s face, hidden behind the mask.   
  
Tony flew up until he level with his son. He had to do something, something he should have done as soon as Peter arrived to help, but he also knew, when he did this, Peter would never forgive him, but Peter did not belong here. He was needed back home, safe by Pepper’s side.   
  
Spider-Man was needed too, the hero had become a staple of New York. They loved him. Tourists no longer visited for the Statue of Liberty or Times Square, they came to try and catch a glimpse of _Queens’ Web-Slinger._ Peter was their Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, and they needed him, now more than ever.   
  
Peter could help with the fallout of this invasion because riots would surely follow, they always did. It seemed small in comparison to what Tony was throwing himself into, but for Peter, it was big. To the people of New York, it was selfless, because Peter protected them, while the other heroes flung themselves head-first into war, not really considering the aftermath.  
  
“Happy trails, kid!” Tony exclaimed, a quiver in his voice, “Friday, send him home.”  
  
“ _Yep_.” Friday hummed  
  
A parachute shot out of the back of the Iron Spider, and pulled the unexpected Peter back before he had chance to protest, he was pulled toward the ground, “Oh, come on!”  
  
Knowing Peter was on his way home, Tony carried on with the mission at hand. He attached himself to the side of the ship and used his laser to cut through the metallic structure, it flew back into the atmosphere, and he clambered inside.  
  
His heart broke, when Pepper’s panicked voice cracked through the communication link, “Tony? Oh my God! Are you all right? What’s going on?”   
  
Tony scanned the interior of the ship, “Yeah, I’m fine.” He lied as he thought of the best way to tell her that he was not coming back, “I just think, uh, we might have to push our eight-thirty dinner res.”  
  
“Why?” Pepper asked, but she knew. _God_ , she always knew. Like Peter, she could read Tony like a book.  
  
“Just ‘cause I’ll probably not make it back for a while.” Tony drew back his mask, after Friday informed him that the oxygen levels on the spaceship were stable.   
  
“Tell me you’re not on that ship.” Pepper pleaded, desperation seeping through in her urgent tone.  
  
“Yeah.” He choked, hating that by leaving, he was hurting her, and Peter.   
  
“God, no, please tell me you’re not on that ship.” She begged, her throat cracking.  
  
_I want to come home, but I’ve got to do this._ Tony dipped his head to his chest, “Honey, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say-” He didn’t have time to explain why he had to stay on the ship. In the long run, it was for Peter and Pepper. This universe was hanging in the balance, and from where he was standing, he had the power to stop Thanos, before he had a chance to win.   
  
“Come back here, Tony.” She ordered, “I swear to God. Come back here right now.”  
  
“Pep-”  
  
“Come back.” The audio link cracked, as the ship flew further from earth.  
  
“ _Boss, we’re losing her_ ,” Friday informed him.  
  
“Where’s Pet--”  Pepper’s question was cut off, but Tony hoped that when Peter returned home, she would find solace in him being safe, and within her reach. If Tony were to die, he found comfort in the knowledge that Peter and Pepper would still have each other. 


	117. Miles From Where You Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is a line taken from 'Set Fire To The Third Bar' by Snow Patrol.

Pepper couldn’t concentrate on Tony, she couldn’t let her mind dwell on the fact that he had embarked on a suicide mission to space, and there was nothing she could do to save him or find him. She couldn’t shake the sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach, knowing he was alone, but she knew if she kept thinking about the situation, she would surely crumble, and she couldn’t do that,  _not now_.   
  
She had to turn her attention to Peter because her son was still missing. He had been on that ship too, but Pepper knew that Tony would have sent him home. Tony had been terrified of this _endgame_ , for six years, it was the source of his nightmares and panic attacks, ever since he flew up into the wormhole during the Battle of New York. Peter already suffered from anxiety, sparked by almost losing his dad, and his infamous fight with the Vulture; Tony would never let Peter follow him into the jaws of war. He would die before letting that happen.  
  
Pepper wouldn’t be able to relax until Peter was by her side. Screw Spider-Man and damn his superhero duty, she just wanted her son home, where she could keep him close and safe while the universe around them was at war. The greatest failure of her life was not being able to save Tony from his self-destructive tendencies, from his need to be Iron Man. _Yes_ , the world needed Iron Man, but they would never deserve him. Even if Tony thought differently. Peter was still finding his feet as a superhero, Tony and Pepper had spoken about the dangers, and they agreed that they couldn’t let him fall, not like Tony had. _Yes_ , it was a lost cause for Tony, but there was still a chance to save Peter from the same damned fate.  
  
She rushed through the Avengers Headquarters, making a beeline for Rhodey, out of everyone, he was the one who knew what was going on, he always did. She ignored everyone who tried to speak to her, she couldn't stomach anyone’s patronising apologies, and head tilts as they pretended to understand how she felt. She knew they meant well, but she just couldn't face them, not right now.  
  
She skidded to an abrupt halt when she made into the main communal lounge, the air was knocked clean from her lungs at the _welcome wagon_ spread across the room. She had expected Rhodey and Bruce, not Vision or the famously-dubbed _Rogue Avengers_.   
  
Rhodey stepped into her line of sight and he let out a long sigh, “Pepper…” He spoke softly as if he was holding something back.   
  
Pepper moved her focus around, scanning everyone in the room.   
  
Natasha welcomed her with a brittle smile, Pepper couldn’t stay mad at her; she understood her choices and she knew how important she was to Peter.   
  
She didn’t stare at Steve too long, because she was more than ready to tear his head off. Pepper had imagined coming face-to-face with him after what happened between him and Tony, but especially after learning what had gone down between him and Peter. She had to bury that anger, deep down, even though it hurt to contain. She had to keep her mind fixed on finding her son.  
  
She held up her phone as she strode over to Rhodey, “Peter’s not answering his calls or his messages.” She said, frantically, praying that he had answers, “Friday can’t track the suit, I phoned Ned, and he hasn’t seen him since they were on the bus--”  
  
“Wait.” Sam interrupted, confusion laced in his tone, “Isn’t Pete at school?”   
  
Pepper narrowed her eyes as she turned to face him, but then she was hit by the sudden realisation that he probably had no idea that Peter was Spider-Man, and neither did Bruce. Pepper knew that Natasha had kept it to herself and she expected that everyone else who knew, cared enough about Peter not to spill the truth.  
  
Pepper shook her head, “No, he isn’t.”  
  
Natasha dipped her chin to her chest as tears filled her eyes, she tried to conceal her worry for her nephew by staring down at her feet, but it was easily noticed, especially by Sam, who was not going to rest until he got the answers that he was looking for. Everyone in that room cared for Peter, because the kid was contagious, Tony had often compared him to a puppy, he was ‘ _too darn loveable._ ’ So Pepper knew, Sam wasn’t going to stop pushing.  
  
“So, you obviously know something I don’t,” Sam said, gesturing over to Natasha, who leaned back to glare at him and roll her eyes. Steve noticeably took a half-step back when Sam looked over at him, “Even you, Cap?”  
  
Steve crossed his arms over his chest, “It wasn’t our secret to tell, Sam.”  
  
Sam threw his hands back, “Okay, what the _hell_ is going on?”  
  
“Pepper?” Natasha stepped over, Pepper could see the panic etched over her face and she knew exactly what she was looking for - _permission_.   
  
Peter’s identity is, and would never be, their secret to confess, but standing here, the universe in chaos, Pepper knew they couldn’t leave Sam or Bruce hanging, not when they were worried too. Bruce was quietly fidgeting with his the cuffs of his jacket in the corner, silently concerned for Peter, who had only been thirteen the last time they saw one another.   
  
Pepper nodded, giving Natasha the permission she needed, but she did seem reluctant to say it, knowing in doing so, she was breaking Peter’s trust, both of them were, “Peter’s Spider-Man.”   
  
Bruce muttered something intangible under his breath and buried his face in his palms.  
  
Sam shook his hand out in front of him haphazardly, he pointed to Steve, “You mean the gimmick we fought at Leipzig? That was _Peter_!”   
  
He was angry, which in his case was justified, he was one of the only members of the team, who didn’t know. Bruce, was understandable because he had been missing in action. Sam, however, had been surrounded by those who knew the truth, and he wasn’t in the loop. Pepper knew, from experience, that being one of the last to find out, wasn’t fun.   
  
Sam pointed over to Natasha, “I threw him out of a window, Nat!”   
  
“Sam, we don’t have time for this,” Steve said, trying to defuse the situation.   
  
Sam shook his head, and pointed to Bruce, “I think we dese--”  
  
“If I could interject.” Vision proclaimed, he was sat beside Wanda on the couch towards the window.  
  
Pepper hadn’t taken the time to study the pair. They were injured, Vision more than Wanda, they had obviously been involved in a confrontation, and they had been together at the time, (which confirmed Tony and Peter’s suspensions that they were _an item_.)

Pepper hadn’t had the chance to catch up with what was happening, all she knew was the fate of the universe was at stake, and Tony, like always, was right in the middle of it. She wondered though, if Vision and Wanda being attacked, was the reason the team had come back to the Headquarters, facing the danger of being arrested upon entry.  
  
“Go ahead, Vision.” Steve urged.  
  
“Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider while on a field trip to Oscorp industries…” Vision explained, trying to offer Sam and Bruce an explanation, so they didn't spend all afternoon arguing, “And although he only just finding his feet, his powers, his strength…” He looked up to Steve, “If not already, may one day, marvel yours, Captain.” 

Steve nodded in agreement; Pepper knew that Peter’s strength already matched Steve’s, considering he had been able to dislocate his jaw while simultaneously breaking his hand.  
  
“I don’t know where he is.” Pepper choked out, getting back to the problem at hand, trying to avoid further distractions. Sam seemed to be in the middle of an existential crisis and probably wouldn’t be asking any more questions, so she was safe on that front.   
  
“Pepper.” Rhodey spoke calmly, though his voice wavered, “Look.” He placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Pepper shrugged him off and stepped away as she blinked tears away, “You know something else?”  
  
“Tony deployed the Iron Spider.” Rhodey told her, “And the parachute was activated.”  
  
“He sent him back home.”  
  
“Yes.” Rhodey swallowed the lump in his throat, “But, that’s the last thing that Friday knows. The chute was deployed, but then his trail…” He bit down on his lower lip, “It goes dead.”  
  
“It’s the same with the Stark Suit.” Pepper cried, “We have to find him, what if he’s hurt or if he’s lost---Rhodey, I--”  
  
Rhodey wrapped his fingers around her wrist while placing his other hand on her arm “Pepper.” She could tell he was trying to hold back from his own breakdown, she couldn’t work out how he held it all together, especially with his best friend stranded in space and his nephew missing, “We both know where he is.”  
  
“No, no.” Pepper spat as she tried to escape his grasp, she shook her head. _No_ , she couldn’t accept it, even though the thought had crossed her mind, it couldn’t be the truth. _Peter couldn’t be on that ship_. “Tony would have told me, _okay_? When we last spoke, he would have said!” Her throat seized, and she let out a pained gasp, “He sent him home. He sent him--”  
  
“Pepper.” Rhodey sighed, “I’m sorry.”  
  
Pepper shook her head, repeatedly, “He can’t be.” She chanted as she tried to fight his grasp as he attempted to pull her into a hug. She knew he meant well, but she couldn’t fold and accept the fact that her son was on that ship too, lightyears away from home.  
  
“Pepper--”  
  
She pulled herself away and backed away towards the door, “My kid is not on that ship!” She shouted before hurrying out of the room. She broke as she walked away, knowing fully well that Rhodey was right.   
  
She stopped and plummeted down onto a bench in front of a window. Thoughts of her son crossed her mind, how scared he must feel being so far from home. She knew that this day, _especially today_ , shouldn’t have been ruined like this. Peter had just found out he was going to be a big brother; Pepper had never seen him so ecstatic. It was insulting that the universe had snatched him away, on what should have been one of the best days of their lives, and it had turned into one of the worst.  
  
“Hey.” Natasha’s gentle voice interrupted Pepper’s train of thought, for which she was grateful, imagining the worst possible outcomes of today was not a healthy way to spend her time.   
  
Pepper looked up, blinking away tears, “Hey.”  
  
Natasha sat beside her, she sighed, “I’m sorry that Tony and Peter are... _you know_ , where they are. But, we know that when they’re together they are unstoppable.” She let out a humourless chuckle through her strained throat, Pepper smiled back, as she nodded, “And at least they’re together.”  
  
Pepper took Natasha’s hand, “You’re right.”  
  
“They’ll be okay, Pepper.” Natasha sniffled, she squeezed her hand, “They’ve gotta be.”  
  
“I hope so.” Pepper wiped tears away, “What are you doing?”  
  
“We’re going to Wakanda. We’ve gotta take a stand, but this is new territory.”  
  
Pepper inhaled a sharp breath, “It isn’t for Tony, he knew this was coming, Nat.”  
  
“I know. And I’m--” She shook her head, as guilt lodged in her throat, “We know what Thanos wants, and we can stop him from getting it.”   
  
_Thanos_. Pepper had heard the name once, when the wizard, Strange, ruined her and Tony’s morning run to inform them of the coming conflict. She didn’t want to hear the name again, knowing there was a chance that Peter and Tony would have to face him.  
  
“I promise, as soon as this is over.” Natasha said, holding her hand as tightly as she possibly could, “I will start looking for them, and I won’t stop until their home.”  
  
Pepper nodded because she could tell that Natasha was telling the truth. And, caught up in this mess, her promise gave Pepper the hope that she desperately needed. Natasha wouldn’t and couldn’t make false promises, especially not where Peter was involved, “Thank you.”   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that I did not upload on Tuesday. I was so angry about the Sony and Disney Split that I couldn't even think about fanfiction, but I'm back, and I'm still angry, not gonna lie. I hope they sort it all out after the backlash they have received.
> 
> Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Pepper and Natasha are two of my favourite characters to write, especially together, so this was fun! :)


	118. One Way Ticket

Tony had been picturing this war, he had committed years of his life, threatened his relationship with Pepper, and his mental stability to make sure that he was prepared when it came. That all seemed hauntingly redundant now because nothing would or could have prepared him for this scenario. He was essentially a stowaway on a flying donut, attempting to save a rip-off arrogant Harry Potter from the evil clutches of Squidward. _It was almost seemed like one of Peter’s strange but well-written fanfictions._  
  
_Peter_. Tony felt tremendously guilty for leaving him behind without a goodbye but he knew that it would have been impossible. Tony despised goodbyes, they seemed final, and even though it seemed unlikely, he wanted to hold onto the hope that he could make it back home. He wanted to, _he really wanted to_.   
  
Tony had been naive in the past, and thought, when Thanos came, he would have the team by his side. _No_ , they were gone. They had to leave because of the choices they made. He was alone and admittingly terrified. Nevertheless, he was lucky to have Peter and Pepper, because they were his reason to keep fighting and get back home.   
  
Tony watched, horrified by what he was seeing. Strange was being tortured and Tony didn’t have long to formulate a plan. He couldn’t let Strange die, no matter how arrogant he was and he couldn’t let the stone fall into enemy hands.  
  
Something tapped against his arm, he jumped into a defense stance, raising his hand to shoot.  He powered down his repulsor, when he saw the thing that had snuck up on him was not a threat, it was Strange’s cloak of Levitation. Tony did not have the time to unpack everything wrong with that, aliens were one thing, cloaks that could think for themselves were another. The universe was vast, complicated, and full of crazy things he had not seen yet. He couldn’t draw the line at a sentient piece of cloth, actually, he couldn’t cross the line anywhere. _Not his line of work._  
  
“Wow you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?” He teased. He didn’t expect an answer and he didn’t get one from the cloak, but a voice did follow, one Tony did not want to hear. _Not here_.   
  
“Yeah, uh…” _Peter._ That was Peter’s bubbly and frantic voice that he used when he knew he was in trouble, but he was trying to escape it, he was hung upside down, he was concealed behind the Iron Spider mask, “Speaking of loyalty....” He flipped down, and his mask retracted, revealing his face underneath.  
  
“What the--” Peter was here, on the ship, miles from home. He was not safe by Pepper’s side like Tony had been envisioning. _No_ , he was stuck in space, with a one-way ticket into the jaws of a war that not even Tony could comprehend.   
  
There was no manual for this. When Tony adopted Peter, he bought a lifetime supply of parentings books and he read them, _word for word,_ because he wanted to be the best father that he could be. There was nothing about superheroes or aliens or the end of the world, Tony had to make it all up as he went along to the best of his ability.   
  
Peter held his hands up, “I know what you're gonna say.”  
  
Tony pointed at him, he knew that Peter was going to use his usual tactics; his puppy-dogs eyes and his nonsensical rambling, “You should not be here.” _You should be with Pepper, safe. Not with me._  
  
“I was gonna go home--”  
  
Tony shook his head, “I don't wanna hear it.”  
  
“But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way…” That was the punchline, and Tony knew that Peter did not realise that he hit the jackpot with that one. ‘ _I just thought about you_ ’ God, of course, he did. Tony wasn’t stupid, he knew that Peter was protective over him too, and Tony knew that he should have realised that Peter would try and pull something like this.  
  
Tony regretted many things, but there is nothing he regretted more than allowing Peter to be involved with his _superhero lifestyle_. Not directly referring to Spider-Man, but to everything that came before that. _Stane, Hammer, Vanko, the Battle of New York, Aldrian Killian, Ultron._ Peter got stuck in the middle of all that and it was too late for Tony to take that back. He loved Peter with all his heart, and he wouldn’t be half the man he was without him, but there were days when he thought that Peter would have been better off with someone else.  
  
“And now I gotta hear it.”  
  
“ ...And I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way.” Peter pointed out, he gestured forward with a sly smile on his face, “So if anything, it's kinda your fault that I'm here.”  
  
Tony stared at him, not sure what route he should take next. In the short run, _it was not his fault_ , because he sent Peter home. In the long run, _it felt like it was._ because he made the suit and he should have realised Peter wouldn’t leave him behind, “What did you just say?”  
  
“I take that back.” Peter stuttered as his posture deflated, “And now I'm here in space.”  
  
“Yeah, right where I don't want you to be. ”  
  
Tony closed the distance between them, he knew he had to be firm, angry even. Like when a parent scolds their child for misbehaving because, in a messed up way, that’s exactly what this was. Peter had to learn that he couldn’t make irrational decisions like this without considering the consequences. Even though he had to act one way, in reality, he wanted to hug him. Protect him from what they were about to face together.   
  
“What about mum, hey?” Tony spoke in an exasperated whisper, Peter flinched, he’d obviously been so caught up in protecting Tony that he forgot Pepper was still on earth and didn’t know where he was, “Peter, this isn't Coney Island. This isn't a field trip. It's a _one-way ticket_. You hear me? Don't pretend you thought this through.”  
  
“Yeah, I did think this--”  
  
“I know you didn’t--”  
  
“No.” Peter half-shouted, “I did think this through.”  
  
“You could not have possibly thought this through.” Peter would have had about five seconds to choose to go home or stay with Tony, so, no, he did not think this through. They both knew that, but Peter would still try to win the argument.  
  
“You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man when there's no neighborhood.” Peter pointed out, and Tony had to be honest, his kid had a point, “Okay. That didn't really make any sense, but you know what I'm trying to say.”  
  
Tony let out a shaky breath before reaching forward and tapping Peter’s arm, “Come on. We got a situation.” He guided Peter over to the viewpoint that overlooked Strange and _Squidward_. Peter crouched down to get a better look, the Cloak followed behind him,  “See him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan? _Go_.”  
  
“Um. Okay, okay... uh…” Peter stuttered, he jumped up,  too excited for Tony’s liking, “Do you remember that really old movie that Uncle Rhodey made us watch? _Aliens_?”  
  
Tony frowned, but he knew what Peter was getting at and it was the only plan they had.

* * *

Peter stayed on the platform, awaiting his signal, while Tony carefully flew down to confront Squidward, he tried his best not to alert him to his presence on the way down. He wanted to make sure he kept the element of surprise because this was a rather _messy_ plan.  
  
He landed down at the end of the deck, and straight away the alien turned to face him, “... could end your friend's life in an instant.” He hissed as Tony held up his hands, and activated his repulsors.   
  
“I gotta tell you, he's not really my friend.” Tony mocked, “Saving his life is more a professional courtesy.”  
  
[Tony hated having to internally call this guy Squidward, but it was all he had.]  
  
Squidward held up his arms as he walked toward him, metal objects floated with him, ready to be used in defence,  “You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.”  
  
“Yeah, but my kid's seen more movies.” Tony fired a rocket from his shoulder, tearing open the side of the ship.  
  
Squidward was sucked out straight away. Strange was freed from the torture but he started hurtling towards the breach. The Cloak wrapped around his arm, trying to pull him back, but it failed. Tony watched as Peter leapt into action, webbing up Strange’s hand and attempting to pull him to safety.  
  
Tony took one deep breath before flying up, losing visual on Strange and Peter for a second as he got ready to seal the hole. He heard Peter’s exuberant scream of,  “Yes!” Followed by, “Wait what are those?!” He looked down to see that the Iron Spider had activated its legs, saving Peter from being dragged out into space along with Strange.  
   
Peter was quick on his feet and able to leap back, propelling Strange to safety. Tony quickly used his nanotech to plug up the hole, so that all three of them were safe inside.   
  
Tony flew back down to the ramp, he deactivated his armour as walked toward the main hull of the ship. Strange got up onto his feet, “We've gotta turn this ship around.”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony scoffed, “Now he wants to run. Great plan.”  
  
“No, I want to protect the stone.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “And I want you to thank me _now_. Go ahead, I'm listening.”  
  
“For what?” Strange questioned, “Nearly blasting me into space?”  
  
Tony turned to face him, “Who just saved your magical ass? _Me._ ”  
  
Strange shook his head, “I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet.”  
  
“Admit it. You should have ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you. You refused.”  
  
Strange smirked as he narrowed his eyes, “Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you.”  
  
“And due to that fact, we're now in a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup.”  
  
Peter raised his hand, “I'm backup.”   
  
Peter sounded so young and innocent, especially now. He only wanted to help, but now was not the time, “No” Tony shook his hand out in front of him, "You're a stowaway.” He pointed over to Strange, “The adults are talking.”  
  
“I'm sorry,” Strange blurted, he turned to Peter, “This is your son, right?"  
  
“Yeah…” Peter stepped closer, holding out his hand, “I'm Peter.”  
  
It was clear, by the way, he was holding himself, that Strange was in the minority that didn’t warm to Peter straight away, and that only made Tony trust him less, “Dr. Strange.”  
  
“Oh, we're using our made-up names.” Peter stuttered, “Um... I'm Spider-Man, then.”  
  
Strange rolled his eyes, as he turned back to face Tony, “I am not surprised.”  
  
“Not my choice, Gandalf.” Tony shot back, “So, this ship is self-correcting its course. Thing's on autopilot.”  
  
“Can we control it? Fly us home?” Strange asked. Tony elected to ignore him because the thoughts of New York came flooding back. He wanted to send Peter home, but he knew that would be pointless because if Thanos won than they were screwed wherever they were,  “Stark?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Can you get us home?”  
  
“Yeah, I heard you.” Tony sighed, "I'm thinking... I'm not so sure we should.”  
  
“Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos.” Strange sneered, “I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here.”  
  
“No.” Tony snapped as he stormed over until they stood, nose-to-nose, “It's you who doesn't understand, that Thanos has been inside my head for six years since he sent an army to New York and now he's back!”   
  
He noticed Peter jolt from the corner of his eye, he wanted to run and comfort him. Tell him everything was going to be alright, even if it was a lie. This had been his nightmare for years, but he often forgot that it was Peter’s too.  
  
 “And I don't know what to do.” Tony admitted, “So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him. Doctor. Do you concur?”  
  
“Alright, Stark. We go to him.” Strange agreed, but Tony could sense a ‘but’ coming from the sheer arrogance in the man’s voice. _Dear God, is this what I sound like? “_ But you have to understand  if it comes to saving you or _your_ kid or the Time Stone…” He paused, “I will not hesitate to let either of you die. _I can't_ because the fate of the universe depends on it.”  
  
Tony could never settle, or relax when he or someone else referred to the idea of Peter dying. It couldn’t happen, it was just, the worst possible outcome. Screw the universe, Tony was not losing his son. No matter what Strange had to say about it. “Nice. Good.” He tapped Strange’s arm, “Moral compass. We're straight.”  
  
He stepped away, not wanting to look him in the eye again. His mind turned to Peter, and how terrified he was. There was only one thing Tony could do to ease that suffering, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do because he knew what it was like. Still, it was all he had.   
  
He strode over, “Alright, bud.” He tapped both of Peter’s shoulders with the side of his hand, like a knighting ceremony, of sorts, “You're an Avenger now.” 


	119. The Edge Of The Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Brief Descriptions of Vomiting (and jokes about wanting to die, you have to love Generation Z.)

Whenever Peter was anxious or scared, he would isolate himself in a dark corner. A space where he could breathe, and attempt to free his mind from all his troubles. He started doing it when he was a toddler, following an unfortunate incident where Tony and Rhodey accidentally scared him with a puppet show. Over the years, it manifested itself as a coping mechanism in his rather hectic day-to-day life. Tony understood it and would always give Peter a few minutes before sitting down with him to make sure he was alright. Most of the time, it ended with them getting ice cream together.   
  
Today was not going to end like that. Peter knew that. Although he could be wrong, there could be Ice Cream parlours in space. In his defence, Earth was the only planet he’d ever been on.   
  
Peter found a darkened corner on the ship and had quickly hidden away, while Tony and Strange spoke, well, they _argued_ , about what their plan would be when they reached their uncertain destination.   
  
“Spiders love their dark corners, don’t they?” Tony asked as he skipped over.  
  
Peter sniffled and tried to brush his tears away, but it was hard with the Iron Spider gauntlets, “Shut up.”  
  
Tony had deactivated his suit, he stood in his tracksuit, he hadn’t had the chance to program Peter’s suit to do the same, but he promised he would, as soon as they got _home_. Tony plonked down beside him, and nudged his shoulder against his, “Are you okay, bud?” He held out his hand in front of him, “Well, apart from the obvious.”  
  
Peter knew it would be pointless to hide how he was feeling, especially since he hadn’t attempted to hide his troubles today. He had gone straight to a dark corner, that was a tell-tell sign for Tony, _obviously_ , “Just thinking about Mum.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “She doesn’t know I’m here.”  
  
Tony let out an exasperated sigh and draped an arm around Peter’s shoulders, “She’s probably figured it out by now, kiddo.”  
  
Peter shook his head, “I shouldn’t have done this. Not to you, or her.” Especially not today, just after learning that he was going to be a big brother. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their life, and it wasn’t anymore. The excitement Peter had once felt had been replaced by sickening dread. They were in space, and even though he knew Tony would fight to get them home. _What if they didn’t?_   They would be leaving  _both of them_ behind. “Not today…” Peter hiccuped accidentally. _Yeah_ , he did not mean to say that out loud, “Not with--um..”   
  
Tony raised his eyebrows, “With what?”  
  
Peter stifled a telling chuckle, “Nothing, it’s _nothing_.” He squirmed, “Just, you know, we had that dinner tonight, and--”  
  
“You hate going to dinner.” Tony pointed out, “So, is there something else?”  
  
“No, _no_ …” Peter blurted defensively, “Why do you think there’s something else?” His voice went unbelievably high-pitched and he knew there was no way that Tony would leave him alone after that.  
  
“Wow.”  
  
Peter buried his face in his hands, “I know.”  
  
“You gonna tell me what’s going on?”  
  
“I can’t.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Pete, we are lightyears away from home, but I can still ground your ass.” He threatened, with a conflicting jokey tone, “So, what’s going on? I call tell it’s something.”  
  
Peter didn’t want this to be how Tony found out. It wasn’t fair, “Not now. This _ruins_ it.”  
  
“I know all of this seems scary…” Tony sighed, “But I’m gonna try and get us home.”  
  
“It’s just, we might not and this is….”  
  
“Pete?” Tony grabbed his hand, and pulled on it, “Kid, look at me.” Peter did, _redundantly._ Tears filled his eyes, he giggled hoarsely when Tony leaned forward and brushed them away with the side of his thumb, “Whatever it is, seems to be a pretty heavy burden.”  
  
“It shouldn’t be.”  
  
“Peter?”  
  
Peter let out a heavy self-deprecating groan, “I’m such an _idiot_. Secrets aren’t my thing.”  
  
“True. But at least you try.”  
  
“Mum’s so gonna kill me.”  
  
“Okay, _okay_.” Tony squeezed his hand, “You’re gonna have to tell me now or I’ll never rest.”  
  
“Fine.” Peter obligated, knowing he would never hear the end of it, “But um, okay. _Shit_.” Tony dropped his jaw and narrowed his eyes, “I did not say that. Umm, Mum’s you know, she’s…please don’t make me say it.” He pleaded, as the cogs slowly turned in Tony’s head, “She’s….”  
  
The realisation hit Tony like a ton of bricks. He fumbled with his hand and pressed it against his chin as he tried to string together a sentence, but nothing came out apart from the odd squeak. His skin paled, and his eyes widened, as far as they could possibly go, “...Pregnant?” He managed. 

Peter nodded, “Yeah..” He trailed off. Tony stared blankly at him without even blinking. “Umm.” Peter poked his shoulder, nothing happened. “Dad?” He clicked his fingers in front of his face, Tony didn’t even flinch, “You still in there?” He tightened his grip around his hand, “Dad!”  
  
Tony jolted back, “Yeah.” He hiccuped as he pulled Peter’s hand closer, “I’m fine, totally fine.” He stumbled, “I mean, why wouldn’t I be? I’m gonna have another kid. _Another kid_. I mean, you get to be a big brother, that’s awesome. And your mum is already, I mean--”  
  
“Dad.” Peter interrupted, he reached over placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder, he shook him to get his attention.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“You alright?”  
  
“Totally.” Tony stuttered, “Just... _Wait_ , how did you find out?”  
  
Peter snorted, “Mum was having panicking and kinda told me at breakfast.” Tony nodded along, “You’re not mad, are you?”  
  
“No, no.” Tony said reassuringly, “Of course not. I think…” He paused, “I knew.”  
  
“You did?!” Peter exclaimed.   
  
“I had a dream about it.” Tony admitted, “I saw you playing with a toddler by the lake, we named him after your mum’s eccentric uncle…”  
  
“Morgan?” Peter grinned. He liked that, it just _clicked_ , “Yeah, I like that…I like that a lot. Morgan Stark. But him? I think it’s a girl.”  
  
“You do?”  
  
Peter shrugged, “I feel like I know.”  
  
Tony squinted, “Like, Spidey Sense or…”  
  
“No.” Peter snickered, “Doesn’t work like that, but like...I just _think_.” Peter didn’t care if he had a brother or a sister, but, whenever he pictured it, he had a little sister, “And Morgan still works.”  
  
“It sure does.”   
  
"This is good.” Peter laughed, “Mum thought you were totally gonna freak.”  
  
“Still time for that, kid.”  
  
“I know.” Peter scoffed, “Can’t wait.” He leaned back as locked his fingers securely around Tony’s. “We’ll be okay, Dad. It's one guy, right? Thanos?” Downplaying the threat Thanos posed was all Peter could do to hide how terrified he was, but this was still the biggest thing they had ever faced.  
  
“One guy.” Tony nodded.  
  
“Scary guy, but we’re together.” Peter told him, “I got your back.”  
  
Tony pulled him closer, “I got yours too.” Peter nuzzled his head against Tony’s collarbone, under his chin. Tony pressed a kiss in his messy hair, “Just promise me, bud, that you’ll stay safe.” His voice quivered, “If I tell you to hide, you _hide_.”  
  
Peter nodded, “I promise.” He snivelled, “I love you.”  
  
“To the moon and back.”  
  
Peter snorted, “That’s kinda outdated now.” He gestured to a small viewing window in front of them, “We’ve passed like twenty moons in the last hour.”   
  
Tony shrugged, “Maybe, we meant that moon.” He pointed one out, they were going so fast that Peter couldn’t even tell if it was a moon, “Or that one.” He leaned forward, “No, wait, that one!”  
  
Peter giggled as he nestled into Tony’s side. Even on the edge of the unknown, Peter felt safe _,_ in Tony’s hold.

* * *

Peter’s hair stood on end, he knew disaster would surely follow. The ship sped up, and turned to one side, he hurried over to where Tony and Strange were standing, “Hey, what's going on?”

“I think we're here,” Strange said, surprisingly monotone.  
  
“I don't think this rig has a self-park function.” Tony sped over to one of the steering controls, and placed his arm in, he turned to Peter, “Get your hand into this steering gimbal.” Peter wasted no time in doing what he was told, but part of him wanted to remind his dad what happened during his first driving lesson, but, this was not the time, “Close those around it. You understand?”  
  
“Yep, got it.” Peter blurted uncertainly.  
  
“This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move at the same time,” Tony explained.  
  
“Okay. Okay.” Peter stuttered, “Ready.” Much to their luck, Titan was a mess. There was no safe passage for them to land, there were giant structures everywhere, turned on their side, pointing up. It was like a defensive mechanism, a way for the planet to protect itself from potential threats. If they didn’t steer fast enough, then the planet would most definitely win. They started to careen toward one of the structures, “We might wanna turn. Turn! Turn! Turn!”  
  
They crashed into the side and lost about three-quarters of the ship in the untimely collision. Peter yelped, and activated his mask, to narrow his focus. Strange intuitively conjured a golden force field, which wrapped around all of them. Peter threw his arm back in a defensive stance as the ship fell onto the planet below.  
  
Peter’s hand was freed from the steering device, the unstable wreckage shook and he was flung backwards. He webbed himself up and swung to the ‘safety’ of the ceiling. [Was it a ceiling? He wasn’t sure of the lingo when it came to spaceships.] He watched from above, as Strange helped Tony up onto his feet.  
  
Peter de-helmeted and lowered himself to meet them. Upside down, _obviously._ It the best position to think in, and he could tell, something else was coming. He couldn’t tell what yet, his powers weren’t that miraculous, “Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something, and I end up eating you, I'm sorry-”  
  
Tony glared at him, and pointed, “I don't wanna hear another single pop culture out of you for the rest of the trip. You understand?”  
  
“I'm trying to say that…” Peter flung his hand back, “Something is coming.” As if on cue, a grenade rolled over, it stopped in-between the trio. It exploded before any of them had the chance to react, they were tossed across the room, all in opposite directions.   
  
Peter rolled on his side, just in time to see three figures heading in through what used to be a door. There was a grey alien, a masked man who seemed to be more human than alien, and there was another alien, who seemed to be in a state of confusion, with antennas.   
  
“Thanos!” The grey alien hollowed, as he threw his blades over toward Strange, who defended them as if they were nothing.  
  
Peter scurried back on his elbows, trying to formulate a plan. Explodes echoed overhead, as Tony took on the masked individual. Who was well-equipped, but not as skilled as Tony.   
  
Peter looked up, to see the alien with antennas hovering over him, he screamed. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” He backed away as she followed along, staring at him with wide-eyes, “Please don’t put your eggs in me!” He shot webs up at her, tying her arms to her side to stop any possible attack, she squeaked as she face-planted onto the floor below.  
  
Peter got to his feet and went to help Strange with the grey alien, but instead, the masked man flew over, feet-first, and kicked him to the side, “Stay down, clown!”   
  
Peter was able to stay upright, with the help of the four metallic legs from his new suit. He took to the air, twirling around, as he avoided continuous shots from the masked man. He leapt down, in an attack formation, but the man was one step ahead, he shot out an electric cord, it wrapped around Peter, in an unforgiving grip. It pinned his arms and the spider legs to his side, he wasn’t able to catch himself, and instead rolled onto the floor.   
  
The masked man grabbed Peter’s shoulder and yanked him up. Peter watched as his dad flew down, and pressed his foot against the grey alien’s chest, who was down on his back, struggling to break free. Tony activated his gauntlet, and held it out toward the alien’s face, ready to strike if he tried anything else.   
  
The masked man held Peter in a head-lock and pushed the barrel on a gun to his head. Peter tried to relax, but the bile threatening to rise in his throat conflicted that chosen mindset. He’d never been held hostage before, but, being the son of elite billionaire superhero, meant he had been prepared for the situation. However, no preparation could prepare to how it actually _felt_. Even though Peter threw himself into death-defying situations and joked with Ned about wanting the _sweet release of death,_ in actual fact, Peter was terrified of dying. It sometimes kept him up at night, and right now, he had a gun pressed to his head. He was living one of his nightmares. He couldn’t save himself, that was up to Tony. 

“Alright, everybody, stay where you are…” The man deactivated the mask, revealing his face, but Peter couldn't see him at the angle he was being held in, “I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where's Gamora?” Peter frowned, _who the hell was that?_  
  
Tony held up his gauntlet in the man’s direction, he retracted his mask, and his expression reflected Peter’s of complete and utter confusion, “Yeah, I'll do you one better. Who's Gamora?”  
  
“I'll do you one better!” The grey alien shouted, “Why is Gamora?!” That was a joke, and it was quite funny, but Peter couldn’t even smile. Not with a gun pressed to his head. Especially not when he could see the pure panic etched across Tony’s face. _That was what scared him most_. It wasn’t just the idea of being shot in the head, it was the thought of dying, and leaving the people he loved behind to pick up the pieces.  
  
“Tell me where the girl is, or I swear to you, I'm gonna French-fry this little freak.” The man pushed his gun harder into Peter’s head. Peter bit down on his lip to conceal a whimper.  
  
“Let's do it!” Tony screamed, “You shoot _my_ son.” He turned to look at the grey alien, “I blast him. Let's go!”  Tony’s left arm extended out into a cannon, it shone brightly, blinding the unphased alien below, Peter had to admire his courage, if he was in his position, he would _shit_ himself.   
  
“Do it, Quill!” The grey alien ordered. _T_ _his guy has a death wish,_ “I can take it.”

Peter knew that his dad wouldn't kill someone in a defenceless position but he couldn’t comprehend what lengths Tony was truly prepared to go for him.   
  
“No, he can't take it!” The alien with the antennas pleaded.  
  
“She's right. You can't.” Strange said, deadpan.   
  
“Oh yeah? You don't wanna tell me where she is? That's fine.” The man spat, Peter concentrated on Tony, who looked horrified but undeniably _angry_ , as he kept his repulsor directed toward the man, and his cannon pointed at the grey alien, “I'll kill all three of you and beat it out of Thanos myself.” He powered up the gun, and pushed it against Peter’s cranium, “Starting with you.” It couldn’t end like this, _right_? Tony would save him. Someone would do something.  
  
“Wait, what.” Strange blurted, he narrowed his eyes, keeping up his mystic shield, “Thanos? Alright, let me ask you this one time: What master do you serve?”  
  
“What master do I serve?” The man sneered, “What am I supposed to say? "Jesus"?”

 _Jesus?_ He’s from Earth. Unless religion found a way to spread across the galaxy, “You're from Earth?” Tony asked, deactivating his weapons, he did not look best pleased.  
  
“I'm not from Earth.” The man snapped, “I'm from Missouri.” _Wow_ , Peter would seriously be disappointed if he was killed by this moron.  
  
“Yeah, that's on Earth, dip-shit.” Tony snapped, “What are you hassling us for?”  
  
Peter plucked up the courage to speak, “So, you're not with Thanos?”  
  
“With Thanos?!” The man screamed, “No, I'm here to kill Thanos! He took my girl. Wait... who are you?”  
  
Peter retracted his mask, “We're the Avengers, man.” The man sighed disappointedly and released Peter from his head-lock. Peter gasped out, trying to force air back into his lungs.  
  
“You're the ones Thor told us about!” The antenna lady shouted.  
  
“You know Thor!?” Tony bellowed. Peter’s mouth twitched into a slight smile at the mention of his uncle, he hadn’t seen him in years and was glad to hear his name.   
  
“Yeah.” The man confirmed, “Tall guy, not that good-looking…” Peter frowned his disapproval and stepped back.

“Needed saving.”   
  
“Where is he now?” Strange asked.  
  
“Nidavellir.” The grey alien answered.  
  
“Gesundheit.” Tony said as he helped the alien up onto his feet, “What’s he doing?”  
  
“He needed a new weapon.” The now, un-masked, man said.  
  
“What happened to Mjölnir?” Peter asked.  
  
The man’s face fell, “What is Mjölnir?”  
  
“His hammer.”  
  
The man shrugged, “Oh, he lost it.”  
  
“Lost…” Tony’s sentence came to an abrupt stop, and he shook his head, “Okay.” He pointed to the restraints that were still locked around Peter, “Let him go."   
  
“Oh, shit.” The man stepped forward, and pulled them away, freeing Peter, “Sorry.”  
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and he stumbled back a few paces, “Don’t worry ‘bout it.”  
  
“Bud, come over here.” Tony waved an arm to get him to move. Peter waddled over, Tony pressed a supportive hand on his shoulder, “You all right?”   
  
“Yeah.” Peter squeaked.  
  
Tony raised an eyebrow, “You sure?”  
  
“Rooms a little wavy.” He slurred.  
  
“Wanna sit down?”  
  
“No, I gotta…” Peter leaned his weight against his dad, he turned his head to the side and proceeded to vomit onto the floor, narrowly avoiding Tony’s suit. Tony kept two firms hands on his back, muttering words under his breath, but Peter was in no condition to hear him.   
  
“Better out than in, kid.” The man sang over, “What!?” He cried soon after, Peter knew for a fact that Tony had glared at him, “I’m tryna lighten the mood.”  
  
“Don’t.” Tony barked.  
  
“Zeesh.”  
  
Peter leaned back, feeling lighter than before. He clung onto his dad’s arm, and looked up at him, bleary-eyed, “You okay, bud?” Tony asked softly.  
  
“Travel sickness sucks,” Peter said, through a slight giggle.  
  
“I know.” Tony sighed, “I’m sorry, baby _._ ”  
  
“It’s okay.” Peter said reassuring, “I mean, we’re in space. It’s kinda cool.”  
  
“Says the kid who just threw up.”  
  
“Here, catch!” The man shouted over, Peter held out his hand and swiftly caught whatever the guy had thrown, without a second thought. _God Bless_ his heightened reflexes, “Woah. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”  
  
Peter looked down at a torn leather water pouch, “Um.” He turned back, “Thanks.” He started sipping, while Tony stepped over towards the others, but kept a hand on Peter's shoulder.  
  
“Hey,  _Andy Dwyer_ , who are you guys?” Tony called over. Peter rolled his eyes, he thought any further Pop Culture references were off bounds.   
  
The man grinned, “We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Do you have names?”  
  
“Oh yeah.” The man pointed to the grey alien, “That’s Drax,” He moved his finger to the antenna lady, “Mantis, and you can call me Starlord.”  
  
Tony was not having this, “What’s your real name?”  
  
“Peter Quill.”  
  
Peter was too distracted downing the water to react to sharing the same first name as Quill.   
  
“That will be easy to remember.” Tony commented, “I’m Tony Stark,” He gestured to Strange, "That’s Doctor Stephen Strange,” He nodded his head to Peter, “And this is my son, Peter Parker-Stark.”  
  
“Peter?!” Quill exclaimed, “That’s so _awesome_ **.”**  
  
“Yeah.” Peter nodded, “We have a cool name.”  
  
“Totally.”  
  
Tony waved his hand out, “Let’s take this party outside, hey?”  
  
“Oh, I love parties!” Mantis sang.   
  
“A party?” Drax squinted, “Are we not here to fight Thanos?”  
  
“That was metaphor--” Tony sighed, “ _Jesus_. Everyone go outside now.”  
  
The Guardians grunted under their breath as they headed outside, Strange followed behind.  
  
Tony turned to Peter, “How are you feeling, bud?”  
  
“Okay.” Peter sighed, “Just a little tired.”  
  
“I’d love to let you have a little power nap but we don’t know how long we’ve got.”  
  
“I get it.” Peter said, “We got this. Just…”  
  
“Just what?”  
  
Peter held out his arms to his side, “Hug?”  
  
“Sure thing, bud.” Tony pulled him into an embrace, holding him close. Peter pressed forehead against his shoulder and crumbled into his open arms. This was far from over, and after facing off with the Guardians, Peter wasn’t sure if he was truly prepared for what was to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by Iridescent by Linkin Park. 
> 
> Sorry in the slight delay, my wifi decided to cut out last night, ughh :)


	120. Probability

Strangely, Titan felt familiar to Tony. He hadn’t seen the planet in his nightmares, because contrary to popular belief, Tony was not a prophet, or futurist, no matter Barton had said. He was and had been for almost a decade, a man in a can. Someone trying his best to prevent threats like Thanos, and he still couldn’t tell if he had done enough or not, to prevent this.   
  
So _no_ , Titan was not familiar because of his twisted nightmares. It was darker than that idealism because the planet reminded him of the desert that he crashed landed in after he escaped the caves in Afghanistan, the place where this all started. How ridiculously poetic. It was the unwelcoming sickly orange hue that surrounded them and the inescapable feeling that he needed to keep running until he was found. That wasn’t going to work this time around, Rhodey couldn’t find him this far out. He was sure his friend would try, but it would be impossible.   
  
Tony’s mind turned back to the time before the caves, back to his rather hectic, although domestic life with Peter. Just, spending his time being the best dad he could possibly be. He still tried now, but Iron Man ashamedly had often gotten in the way. If he could go back and chose to get into the Humvee with Rhodey than maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation.  
  
He shook off that thought and turned it to the problem at hand. For one, they were undoubtedly outgunned and under-staffed.  
  
He wasn’t sure if trusted Strange, the man had unprecedented power, but was distant. _Like Tony had once been._ Tony found his way out of his shell, thanks to the people closest to him; Peter, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy. They made sure he didn’t hideaway, and get trapped in his head. It didn't seem that Strange had that same lifeline to hang onto. He had himself, and Tony knew how corrosive that could be.   
  
The Guardians were another story. They had no self-restraint, and not one of them seemed to understand that the fate of the universe was hanging in the balance. Their leader was an idiot, plain and simple. The other two didn’t understand sarcasm, metaphors, or humour, meaning it would be impossible for Tony to communicate with them.   
  
Tony believed in Peter, his son had proved time and time again that he could hold his own. The error in that mindset was, Tony worried about himself. More importantly, on how he would react to seeing his kid go toe-to-toe with a genocidal lunatic. _How could he possibly commit to the fight of his life, when Peter’s life was in jeopardy too_?   
  
“The heck happened to this planet?” Quill said, “It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place.” The idiot wasn’t wrong, Tony could give him that. The gravitational pull would be a challenge for the upcoming fight, but Tony had already thought of a thousand ways they could use it to their advantage. Especially with Peter’s abilities.   
  
“Yeah, we got one advantage. He's coming to us.” Tony said, scanning what he could see in the distance, trying to formulate the best plan of action, “We'll use it.” He turned back to face Peter but instead was met by Mantis using the planet as a makeshift trampoline. He decided it was best not to call her out on it,  “All right, I have a plan.” Quill moved forward, signalling for Tony to carry on, “Or at least the beginnings of one. It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don't wanna dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet.”  
  
Drax yawned, and Tony was sure that was about to have an anger-induced heart attack, “Are you yawning?” He barked, “In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down?” In the short time, he’d known the Guardians, he'd parented them more than he had with Peter, “ _Huh_? Did you hear what I said?”  
  
Drax kept a straight face, obviously not realising that he was being disrespectful, “I stopped listening after you said, ‘We need a plan.’”  
  
Tony turned back to Quill, who surprisingly was the mature one of the group, “Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page.”  
  
“See, ‘not winging it’ isn't really what they do.” Quill defended.  
  
“Uh.” Peter groaned exasperatedly, it was good to see that he and Tony were on the same page. Peter gestured over to the pair, “What exactly is it that they do?”  
  
Mantis attempted a scowl, but her expression only reminded Tony of the one Ernő used when he wanted more catnip, “Kick names, take ass.”

Drax nodded, not noticing the mistake in her saying, “Yeah, that's right.”  
  
Tony stared into the horizon, longing for something, but he wasn’t sure what that something was. He wanted to go home, he knew that much. He didn’t want to fight. Although, he was obligated to, as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and all that shit.

This stemmed back to what Peter had told him on the ship. He understood, why he had told him about the baby, they were miles away from home, essentially on a suicide mission, and that was a weight on the poor teen’s shoulders. It would have been hard enough for Peter to keep that a secret back home, so it made complete sense that he blurted it out while stranded on a spaceship with only Tony and Strange for company.  
  
Tony understood that, but at the same time, he wished he didn’t know. Yes, _of course_ , it was amazing news. He loved the idea of a big family; Peter would be the big brother that he was meant to be, and Pepper was already a _badass_ mum. _That wasn’t the problem_. The problem was, Tony hadn’t accounted for surviving this. He knew, after all he had been through, the likelihood of him getting home was slim to none. He had known for years, that if this threat ever did come, he’d probably die in his attempt to stop it.   
  
Peter was different, whatever happened, if they won or _lost_ , Tony would make sure that Peter had a way home. Tony would die defending the universe, for the sake of all those he loved, including his unborn child. He couldn't help but feel like a _crap_ parent, knowing there was a chance that his unborn daughter or son would never get the chance to meet him, or know how much he loved them.  
  
Tony, regrettably had to put that to the back of his head. He had to focus on Thanos and protecting Peter. His child that was by his side, _right now_.  
  
“Alright, just get over here, please.” Tony pleaded, “Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?”  
  
‘Mr. Lord.’” He scoffed, “Star-Lord is fine.” He nodded over to the pair, and they moved over, forming a circle.  
  
“We gotta coalesce.” Tony told them,“'Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude…”  
  
“Dude, don't call us plucky.” Quill interrupted, “We don't know what it means. Alright, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it _sucks_ , so let me do the plan, and that way it might be really good.”  
  
“Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe,” Drax said, before Tony had a chance to snap back.  
  
“What dance-off?” Tony asked. Not entirely sure if he wanted to know the answer.  
  
“It's not a... it's not... “ Quill stuttered, “It's nothing.”  
  
“Like in Footloose, the movie?” Peter asked, Tony could hide his pride at the sound of judgement in Peter’s tone.  
  
“Exactly like Footloose.” Quill lit up, it was blatantly obvious that this guy hadn’t had contact with fellow human beings for a long time,  “Is it still the greatest movie in history?”  
  
Peter looked down at the ground, with wide-eyes, “It never was.” Quill narrowed his eyes.  
  
“Don't encourage this, alright?” Tony said, stepping down next to Peter.  
  
“Okay,” Peter muttered.  
  
“We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here,” Tony commented.  
  
“Flash Gordon?” Quill stepped forward, ready for some form of confrontation, “By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half-human. So that 50% of me that's stupid?” He circled his hand around, “That's 100% you.”  
  
“Your math is blowing my mind.” Tony mocked.  
  
“Excuse me…” Mantis called, concerned. That caught Tony’s attention, “But... does your friend often do that?”  
  
By friend, she was referring to Strange. Tony couldn’t explain what the man was doing though. He was using the time stone, and his head was twitching unnaturally. It looked like he was having some kind of seizure, but he seemed to be in control of whatever he was doing.  
  
“Strange!” Tony bellowed, “We alright?” He hurried over to him, just in time.  
  
Strange collapsed forward, he let out a startled scream, Tony grabbed hold of his arm, “You're back. You're alright.” He eased, sensing the beginnings of a panic attack.  
  
“Hey, what was that?” Peter asked, fear tangled in his tone.  
  
Strange swallowed a lump in his throat, and darted his eyes around, not locking his focus on anyone there. It was like he was afraid to make eye contact with any of them, “I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.”  
  
“How many did you see?” Quill asked. The seriousness of this situation finally catching up with him.  
  
“Fourteen million, six hundred and five,” Strange answered breathlessly.  
  
Tony knew he had to ask, but he didn’t even try to hide his fear, “How many did we win?”  
  
Strange stared at him, every emotion possible glistened in his eyes; _fear, guilt, anger, sadness._ He had seen every horrible, unspeakable future. That was enough to drive anyone crazy, but he was, as level-headed as before, only he was now bundled together with Tony’s best friend, _anxiety_.   
  
Strange kept his eyes locked on Tony, as he muttered a single word, that changed everything, “One.” 

* * *

They didn’t know how long they had left before Thanos arrived. Strange only had an  _ estimate _ . He might have seen the future but it didn’t come with a timecode like in the movies. 

Everyone was beginning to phase out into their positions, ready for the battle. It was daunting, but at the same time, it seemed unreal. Like this wasn’t actually going to happen.  
  
“Dad.” Peter pressed a hand against his back, Tony jolted, startled by the sudden contact, “Hey, just _me_. Sorry.”  
  
Tony slumped his shoulders, “Um, no. Not your fault, bud.”  
  
Peter smiled, “This is going to work.” Tony snickered at the uncommon sense of certainty in his son’s voice. Peter had always put up the pretence that he was an optimistic individual, but underneath it all, he could sometimes be as pessimistic as Tony. This time, Tony knew that Peter was sure of himself, which was refreshing.  
  
Tony raised an eyebrow, “You think?”  
  
Peter shrugged, “It’s a good plan.”  
  
“It would be.” Tony looked over to Quill, who was staring down the barrel of his weapon, his curiosity getting the best of him, “Maybe, if it wasn’t his.” Peter looked over, in time to see Strange slap Quill’s wrist and scold him for his irresponsibility.   
  
“Uh, well..” Peter blurted, “Everyone deserves a chance.” He looked up at Tony, “It’s a great plan.” He sang. _Okay_ , that was just overselling it, “It’s an okay plan.” Peter corrected, “Um, well, it’s a _plan_.”  
  
“Sure is.” Tony confirmed, he leaned in, pressing a kiss against Peter’s messy curls, “I wish we had more time.”  
  
“We got this.” Peter grinned reassuringly.  
  
“Yeah.” Tony sighed, he kept a hand on Peter’s upper arm, “Be careful out there.”  
  
Peter nodded, “You too.”

* * *

Tony was suspended in the sky, holding onto a rather heavy piece of metallic debris that he had salvaged from wreckages left behind on the planet. He was waiting for his _cue_ , which happened to be Peter. As soon as his son swung away from his post, it was time for Tony to join the battle. He thought the day he came face-to-face with the likes of Thanos, would be a cinematic humdinger. A story to tell the grandkids. _No_ , instead, the first time he set eyes on the man who had haunted him for six years, he could barely see him. He was just a dot, a _dot_ who seemed to be monologuing to Strange.  
  
Before he had a chance to take in all he could see, Peter leapt from his spot. Tony pushed against the debris, heading down at full speed. He focused on Thanos, making sure he was the only target in his trajectory. Thanos was soon crushed under the weight of the debris. An explosion, that Tony knew he was not responsible for, rippled and a giant dust cloud followed. Thanos, with the power of the infinity stones, had been able to _retaliate_. Tony wasn’t sure how yet, but he knew he would soon.   
  
“Piece of cake, Quill.” He quipped as he flew past him.  
  
“Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!” Quill shouted back.  
  
Tony watched as the debris disintegrated, almost into small clusters of shredded metal. Purple light enveloped around the damage. At the epicentre of the explosion, was Thanos, and Quill was right, _he was pissed off._ Thanos reclined his head, and howled, angrily. The purple light disappeared, swiftly replaced by red as he harnessed the power of the reality stone.  
  
The renaissance of the debris turned into a flock of birds or bats, Tony could not tell. Whatever they were, they were coming for him. They flew into him, knocking him off course. They dragged him through the wreckage of another fallen structure, he shot at them, and one-by-one, they fell away. Considering there were thousands of them, it wouldn’t be an easy defeat.  
  
He continued to fire at them, letting the others take on Thanos. He couldn’t stop his parental instinct from nagging in his ear, because he didn’t have a lock on Peter.  
  
By the time he escaped the onslaught, he was hit by the horrific realisation that the nagging was justified, “Peter!”  Thanos had Peter pinned down, with a hand wrapped around his neck, pressing down on his chest. Peter was squirming, trying to escape. Tony watched helplessly as Thanos picked Peter up and threw him, using him as a bowling ball to knock Strange down too.  
  
Tony decided to go in, all guns blasting. He fired missiles, hitting Thanos, stopping him from further pursuing Peter or Strange. Thanos quickly absorbed the energy generated from the blasts with the power of the gauntlet, and send it back, hurdling in Tony’s direction.  
  
Tony was sent flying by the explosion, and there was nothing he could do to slow himself down as he twirled through the sky, spinning non-stop.  
  
In the time it took to escape and get back to the main altercation, the team were surprisingly doing quite well. Quill’s plan was actually working, to an extent.  
  
Thanos was held down on one knee by one of Quill’s devices, while Strange was using his skill to hold back his gauntlet wielding arm. Peter had webbed up his chest and was pulling him back, trying to keep him low on the ground.  
  
There was a newcomer, a blue alien that Tony hadn’t seen before. Although, Quill had mentioned her. _Nebula_ , if Tony remembered correctly. A sister to Gamora, and of _course_ , they, unfortunately, had Thanos as the crappiest father-figure in the universe.   
  
Tony landed and started to pull on the gauntlet, in a desperate effort to get it off. Strange opened a portal, and Mantis flew out, landing on Thanos’ shoulders. She placed her hands on his head, trying to use her empathic abilities to send Thanos to sleep. Almost like anaesthesia.  
  
Thanos' anguish filled screams came to an abrupt half, his eyes glazed over with a clouded grey. Mantis was winning, but by the way, she was crying out, it wouldn’t be for long.   
  
“Is he under? Don't let up.” Tony ordered though he felt bad, especially seeing the state she was in.   
  
“Be quick.” Mantis begged, “He is very strong.”  
  
“Pete, help!” Tony cried out, “Get over here.” Peter rushed over, grabbing the other side of the gauntlet, “She can't hold him much longer. Let's go.”  
  
Quill flew down and landed close by. He walked over, retracting his mask, revealing his annoyingly cocky smirk.   
  
“I thought you'd be harder to catch.” Quill sneered, “For the record, this was my plan.” He pointed over at Tony, before getting back to the task at hand, "Not so strong now, huh?” He dropped the act, “Where is Gamora?”  
  
“My... Gamora...?” Thanos cried out.  
  
“No bullshit!” Quill snapped, “Where is she?”  
  
“He is in anguish.” Mantis sobbed.  
  
“Good.” Quill spat.  
  
“He… he…” She stuttered, “Mourns.”  
  
“What does this monster have to mourn?!” Drax screamed.  
  
Tony kept pulling, knowing that he needed to get the gauntlet off. It just knew what was about to be said. He knew who Thanos was mourning. They all did. Although, most of them would not care to admit to it. Thanos kidnapped this Gamora and returned without her. She was dead, and Tony knew, the monster that Thanos was, he’d killed her. He had the nerve to mourn and act like he loved her when it was his choice to end her life. No matter what the circumstance was, he had murdered his own daughter.  
  
Thanos in many ways reminded Tony of Obadiah. Someone who claims to love those around him, but would kill them, without a second thought to get what he wants. That’s not a _father,_ that’s a _monster_.  
  
“Gamora.” Nebula muttered, confirming Tony’s instincts.   
  
“What?” Quill uttered, in disbelief.  
  
“He took her to Vormir.” She explained, “He came back with the Soul Stone... but she _didn't_.”  
  
Tony knew, that if he was in Quill’s shoes right now, and found out that Pepper had been murdered, he wouldn’t give a damn about the universe, not when overwhelmed by grief and unbridled anger. He’d fight to kill, which was what Quill was going to do because he just lost the love of his life. Everything else faded away into nothing.  
  
“Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now, you _understand_?” Tony said softly, trying to stop him before it was too late. Quill was unphased, and kept his eyes locked on Thanos, “Don't, don't, don't engage, we've almost got this off!”   
  
Tony tugged on the gauntlet. A thought crossed his mind. Quill had mentioned a son, of sorts. _Groot_. A teenager that the whole team took responsibility for. So, maybe Quill would understand that if he went down this path, he was putting his kid’s life on the line.   
  
“Think about your kid, Quill.” Tony cried desperately, “Please!"  
  
Quill flinched at the mention of Groot, but Tony could tell, he was settled on what he was about to do. And, he had briefly been in this situation before, with Aldrich Killian, when he thought Pepper was dead. So, he wasn’t exactly the one who could give out pointers on this. “Tell me she's lying.” Quill threatened, “Asshole! Tell me you didn't do it!”  
  
 “I... had... to.”  
  
“No, you didn't.” Quill cried, shaking his head, “No, you didn't.” He swung back his gun, and used it to hit Thanos in the face, “No, you didn’t!” He screamed, his actions knocked Mantis back, freeing Thanos from her powers.  
  
“Quill!” Tony rushed forward grabbing his arm, “Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!”  
  
“It's coming! It's coming! It's coming!” Peter shouted over the noise, Tony could see, from the corner of his eye, that Peter did almost have it, “I got it! I got it....”   
  
They were so close, but then, Thanos woke up, he pulled on the gauntlet, pushing Peter on his back. He then tossed Mantis off his back, she twisted through the air.  
  
“Oh, God!” Peter bounced up and caught her in his open arms.   
  
Thanos was not taking any prisoners, not this time around. Not when he knew what he was up against. Using the power stone, Thanos knocked the rest of the guardians back. He had already pushed Strange off course, and that only left Tony.  Thankfully, Peter was distracted in the duty of protecting the unconscious form of Mantis, being the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man he was born to be.  
  
Tony tried his best to take Thanos on alone, but he wasn’t an equal match for four infinity stones. He watched, as Thanos harnessed the power stone, once again, and used it to _summon_ one of Titan’s moons.  
  
Thanos held his hand out towards Tony, and the clusters of moon rock started to head straight for him.   
  
Tony got into a defensive position and readied himself for _impact_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who's ready for Thursday's update? 😞😱


	121. Please Don't Let Go (IW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major Character Deaths

Tony wasn’t entirely sure how he managed it but he was somehow able to dodge the falling moon with relative ease. Well, ‘ _ease_ ’ meaning he was almost flattened to death by the chunks of rock on multiple occasions, but he decided it was best not to dwell on that. He survived, that was all that mattered. He lived, so he could keep fighting to stop Thanos from getting what he came for and most importantly, get Peter home.   
  
He flew back into the action, noticing an unconscious Strange laid face-first on the planet surface, and Thanos, he was going for the _kill_. Tony threw out a blast of nanotech, it hit the gauntlet and wrapped around it, stopping Thanos from harnessing the power of the stones. Tony celebrated internally because he didn’t think that would actually work. It was a _whim_. Thankfully, most of the time, Tony’s whims worked; it was part of his charm as Iron Man.  
  
He landed opposite his opponent, “You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna lose it.”   
  
“Stark.” Thanos sneered.   
  
That was _not_ expected. Tony’s nightmare knew his name, and he couldn’t tell if that made this easier or a one hundred times worse. _Did Thanos have nightmares too?_ And was Tony had the centre of them? Or, was Peter right all those years ago? When he theorised that Ultron was a result of the Endgame, and not Tony and Bruce’s meddling. Had Thanos been keeping tabs on them all this time? Preparing himself for today. There were too many questions to process, and no time to have them answered. Thanos didn’t seem like one to gossip.  
  
“You know me?” Tony asked.  
  
“I do.” Thanos confirmed, “You're not the only one cursed with knowledge.”  
  
“My only curse is you.” Tony released miniature missiles from his suit and they headed straight in Thanos’ direction.   
  
“Come on!” Thanos chorused through gritted teeth as he blocked every missile, although he was engulfed by smoke, giving Tony the perfect opportunity to fight back. Tony activated his single-jet boot, and bounced over, knocking Thanos away in one single move. Tony twirled around and landed down on two feet. His gloves morphed into rockets, he punched Thanos into the wall behind.   
  
Thanos wasn’t phased in the slightest, he lunged forward and tore Tony’s helmet off. Thanks to his nanotech, he had a new helmet in seconds.  
  
Due to this moment of vulnerability, Thanos forcefully knocked Tony onto his ground. The Titan ripped the nanotech from the gauntlet, freeing the full power of the stones.  
  
Tony didn’t have time to formulate a new plan of action, Thanos jumped right back in, using the power stone to send Tony tumbling. Tony did all he could do, he activated a shield, and hid behind it. His tech was powerful enough to take the hit of an infinity stone, but he knew it wouldn’t hold for long. He swung around, pushing the energy away with the shield, he used the planet’s screwed gravitational pull to his advantage. He activated his left thruster and hit Thanos down to the ground, he then pinned the Titan’s gauntlet-wielding hand to the floor, before slamming his left glove into his face.  
  
Thanos laughed valiantly as he moved his finger up to the cut on the side of his temple, “All that for a drop of blood.” He flipped Tony onto his side, and with substantial force, started to repeatedly thump him in the face.   
  
Thanos grabbed him and flung him across the planet’s surface. The suit was falling to pieces, and Tony had _nothing_. Apart from an annoying buzzing in his ears and an evident concussion. He had to keep going because Peter was still out there. He wasn’t sure if his son could see what was happening. _God_ , he hoped not. He willed for the reality that Peter was on the opposite side of the damned planet, protecting the unconscious Guardians. Doing what a Friendly Neighbourhood-Spider does best. Not watching from the sidelines, paralysed in fear, as his dad fought a losing battle. That could only end _one way_.   
  
As Tony used the last of his armour to form a sword, he knew for a fact that Peter wasn't closeby. His son was as stupidly over-protective as he was. Peter would have swung in without a second thought.   
  
Tony stumbled forward, aiming the sword in Thanos’ direction. He was too _late_ , too _vulnerable_. Thanos had the upper hand. The Titan wrapped his hand around the sword and tore it off. He twisted it around and pushed it directly into Tony’s side.  Tony let out a mangled cry as he held onto the Titan’s arm, desperately trying to force air into his lungs. He didn’t concentrate on the pain or the idea of death. His mind was solely locked onto _Peter_. If he had to die like this, he needed to know that Peter was _safe_. That someone would get him home, back to Pepper.   
  
Thanos pushed Tony into a sitting position, and cradled his head, “You have my respect, Stark. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive.”   
  
Tony coughed violently, blood trailed out from the side of his mouth, as he struggled for air. _Peter, Peter, Peter,_ he repeated his name like a mantra in his head, _I’m sorry._  
  
“I hope they remember you.” Thanos proclaimed as he held out the gauntlet.  
  
“Stop!” Strange called out, hoarsely, “Spare his life…” He spoke hesitantly, “And I will give you the stone.”  
  
_No, no, no._ Tony couldn’t wrap his mind around this. Strange knew they only had one shot. _Unless_ that shot was already spent, and they had failed.    
  
“No tricks,” Thanos ordered.  
  
Strange shook his head, “Don’t..!” Tony pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. Strange held up his hand and plucked the time stone out of nowhere. With a sense of reluctance, he sent the stone in Thanos’ direction.  
  
Thanos made a theatrical show of it. Slowly studying the stone before finally attaching it to the gauntlet, he yelped out in pain, but then, grinned, “One to go.”  
  
Quill flew in, all guns blazing, in a last-ditch attempt to take him down. Thanos opened a portal and left, having got what he came for. Quill rolled on the ground, he turned, “Where is he?!” He shrieked, with his gun held out.  
  
Tony ignored him as he patched up his wound to the best of his ability, he kept his eyes on the ground.  
  
“Did we just lose?” Quill asked.  
  
Tony looked over to Strange, his lower lip trembled when he realised what the man had just done for the sake of his life, “Why would you do that?”  
  
“We're in the Endgame now.”  
  
Tony shook his head and turned away. _Endgame?_ Strange might have seen the future, but he would never understand the leverage that came alongside the terrifying prospect of the Endgame.   
  
“Where--wh--” Tony coughed, “Peter.” He deactivated the remains of his suit and looked around, “Quill! Where’s Peter?”  
  
Quill shrugged, “I don’t know.”  
  
“Uh.” Tony placed his palms on the ground and tried to push himself up, he screamed.  
  
Quill took a hesitant step forward, “I don’t think you should be moving, man.”  
  
“I don’t care!” Tony bellowed, “I gotta find my son.” He kept trying to get up, but inevitably fell down, “I gotta, ah, _shit_ \--Peter!” He cried, “Peter!” He threw his hands out, “Pet--Uh, where the _hell_ is my kid?”  
  
“Tony,” Strange called softly.  
  
Tony turned to him, “Wh _at_?!” He watched, as Strange opened a portal, on the other side was Peter, his mask drawn. He was lost, calling out for his dad, “Peter!”  
  
Peter turned, revealing his tear-stained cheeks, “Dad? Dad...” He hurried over, stumbling over a few rocks as he went, but managed to stay on his feet, “Dad!” Strange closed the portal as soon as he was through, Peter collapsed to his knees in front of Tony.    
  
“Peter.” Tony hiccuped, he moved onto his knees, Peter placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder, “Damn it.”   
  
“I’m here.” Peter sniffled, “Dad, I’m here.”  
  
Tony smiled, he pressed his hand against Peter’s cheek, “Hey.”  
  
Peter leaned into the touch, “Dad, I’m so--I’m so sorry.” He threw a hand to his side to emphasize his unneeded explanation, “I got stuck with--and I can’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t get to you, I couldn’t--I’m _sorry_ , I’m so--”  
  
Tony shushed himself, and he threaded his fingers through his unruly hair, “Bud, look at me. It’s okay, it’s _okay_.”  
  
“You’re not..” Peter’s voice wavered, “You’re not okay.”   
  
“I will be.”   
  
Peter choked out a sob, “Yeah?”  
  
“ _Yeah_ , I promise.” Tony moved forward, leaning their foreheads together, “To the moon and back.” Peter plummeted, tucking his face against Tony’s chest. Tony feebly wrapped an arm around his back, “I got you, baby.” He lulled, “I’ve got you.”

* * *

There an extended period of silence, where Tony simply held Peter in his arms, protectively, keeping him safe from any further potential threat. Their fight was _over_ , and there was nothing else they could do. Tony’s faith was latched onto the remaining Avengers, back on earth. Some of them had let him down before, but with everything on the line, he knew they’d stand and fight with all they had. Natasha, especially, no one got in the way of her protecting her nephews and niece.   
  
Peter leaned back when the Guardians started to make their way towards them. He put up a strong persona, hiding away his tears. Tony hated it, Peter shouldn’t feel like he had to lie to these people, not after what they’d all gone through together.   
  
Tony offered him a pained smile, as Peter stumbled onto his feet. It was time to coalesce, salvage what they had left, and find a way home. Tony wanted nothing more than for him and Peter to be back in Pepper’s arms.   
  
“I got you, Dad,” Peter muttered as he extended his hand out. Tony winced as he locked his fingers around his kid’s hand. Peter guided him up, and he placed a secure hand against his back, making sure he didn’t fall.  
  
Tony was about to open his mouth, but Mantis beat him to it, with an eerily warning, “Something... is happening.” She looked up to the sky, not developing on her point. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she faded away.  
  
Tony stepped closer, to surveillance the situation.  _We lost, we lost, we lost._  
  
“Quill?” Drax cried out, like Mantis before him, as he crumbled away into nothing. He screamed, but it came to an abrupt ending as he disappeared.  
  
Tony noticed the dust rising from Quill’s arm, he was next, “Steady, Quill.” He said, hoping to ease the man’s passing.  
  
Quill was too preoccupied in losing those he loved to care about himself, “Aw, man.” He sighed as he too faded away.  
  
“Tony,” Strange said, gently. Tony turned, slowly, on his heel, not knowing what to expect, “There was no other way.” With that final goodbye, Strange faded into the horizon.   
  
“Dad?” _Peter_. That was Peter. Who else would it be? This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be. _No, no, no._    
  
The universe could screw Tony over as many times as it so wished, but Peter, he was unprecedented territory. Tony already knew he’d gladly watch the galaxy _burn_ for Peter’s sake, but he had never foreseen a future where there was nothing he could do to save his son.   
  
“I don't feel so good…” Peter cried, as he weakly swayed to the side.  
  
_If you died…God, bud. If you die, I die! It’s that simple._  
  
_There is no me without you._  
  
_I can’t lose him, Hap._  
  
“You're all right.” Tony managed to say. _God_ , what if the last thing he ever said to his son was a lie?  
  
Peter stumbled as he hurried over, “I don't know what's -- I don't know what's happening. I don't--” He collapsed into Tony, he folded his arms around his dad in an unforgiving grip because, in his fear, he forgot his superstrength. That thought didn’t even cross Tony's mind because no physical pain would ever amount to the feeling of Peter disappearing in his arms,  “Dad! I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, Dad, _please_. Please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go…”  
  
Peter had never sounded so young, so innocent. There was nothing Tony could do, he couldn’t even keep him safe in his arms like he always did. The worst part was, he _caught_ him, but he couldn’t _save_ him. For years, he’d had the naive belief that those two things were interlocked. It started after New York when the pair were plagued by nightmares and panic attacks; Tony promised Peter, that if they held onto one another tight enough, neither of them could fall.   
  
If one fell, the other one caught him. It was a promise they made.   
  
Tony hadn’t broken that promise, because he did catch him, and held on. It’s _just_ , that wasn’t enough.  
  
Tony guided Peter down onto his back as his legs were not strong enough to support both their weights, “Bud.." He cried, keeping a firm hand on his shoulder.  
  
Peter looked over, with misty-eyes, “I'm sorry.” Peter turned his gaze away and disappeared.   
  
Tony fell onto his hands because there was no one there to catch him. He stared at the ground with wide-eyes, moments ago, Peter had been there. Now, just like that, he was gone. Tony hadn’t had the chance to process the apology, he never would understand it. He didn’t have the time to tell Peter that it was unnecessary because he’d done nothing _wrong_. This wasn’t his fault, _it wasn’t_ , and he died believing it was.   
  
“Peter.” Tony breathed into the silence. He sat down, staring at the ashes that covered his blood-stained hand. _Peter’s ashes._ He was gone.   
  
The only constant in Tony’s life was _dead_.   
  
Tony let out a sharp breath and dipped his chin to his chest as he cried.   
  
Nebula, the only other person _there_ to survive Thanos’ lottery, spoke next, “He did it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. 
> 
> Please feel free to come and shout at me @i-am-irondad on Tumblr.


	122. Vilomah (Endgame)

Tony had always thought that if Peter were to die than the universe would cease to exist. He didn’t care how cliché it sounded, or how it went against every law of mathematics and science, it didn’t stop him from believing it. He couldn’t even comprehend how the universe could keep going, knowing that Peter was no longer around. Then, it happened, Peter died. He was there one second, and the next, he was _gone_ . There was nothing Tony could do to stop him from slipping away.   
  
When Peter held on to Tony as tightly as he could and begged to be saved, that somehow wasn’t the worst moment of it all. _No_ , the worst part, was that the universe kept going.

Peter took his last breath, and nothing happened. That was _it_. There was no cinematic explosion that ended the cosmos in a burst of light, there wasn’t even a clap of thunder to signify that the universe lost one of the greatest things it ever came to together to create.  
  
Tony quickly learnt, that the universe is and always will be selfish; it let Thanos win, it let him destroy half of the living things it created, including Peter. That’s the thing though, the truth about the universe that people elect to ignore - _it simply doesn’t care_.  
  
Tony, on the other hand, cared a great deal. Perhaps, _too much_.  
  
He had every right to be selfish and ignore the chaos going on around him, but that’s not who he is. It was also, not what Peter would have wanted. Peter would have been more than disappointed if Tony had let himself die without attempting to find a possible way back home. There was a chance that Pepper was still out there, he didn’t know if she was alive, but he hoped she was. If he lost her than he lost the _two_ things that were keeping him alive.   
  
Tony owed Nebula a debt because she didn’t take any of his self-deprecating shit, she made sure he ate, drank and slept. She’d shout at him if he stopped helping her repair the ship while he was moping around. In return, he was _nice_ to her. It seemed like a small thing after everything she had done for him, but he knew, by looking at her, that her childhood hadn’t been particularly warm. She reached the same way to mentions of her father, that Tony did to his. He saw himself reflected in her dark eyes. The scars of abuse aren’t always visible, but Tony could see them.  
  
He’d been lucky because he’d still had his mum, his godmother, Peggy, and the best father figure in the world, Edwin Jarvis. So memorable, that Tony named his first AI system after him.  
  
Nebula didn’t have those same lifelines. She hadn’t seemed that close to the Guardians, not in the half-hearted way they talked about her. She’d had the misfortune of being the adopted daughter of Thanos, alongside her sister, Gamora. From what Tony could gather, that pair hadn’t got along when they were growing up because Thanos always pinned them against one another, forcing them to fight. It wasn’t until recently that Nebula had learned that Gamora was all she loved and all she _had_. And Thanos killed her.   
  
So, Tony and Nebula connected on their past hurt, hatred for Thanos, and their grief. They also bonded over the fact that they stranded in space with zero chance of being found. Their distress calls went unanswered because half of all living creatures had died, and the ship was beyond repair. All they could do was sit and wait for the inevitable.  
  
Tony was the one who decided they could pass their limited time with games. _Noughts and crosses, Simon Says, Pictionary._  Nebula was rather competitive, but he knew why. He was determined to make her smile, after a shitty life, she deserved to know what it's like to be loved for who she was, and not for who Thanos tried to make her.   
  
Tony didn’t mean to somehow become a parental figure towards a hostile alien, but it’s part of who he is. Before he lost Peter, he always thought that being a Dad was the one thing he was actually good at. Tony knew, if he’d met Nebula and Gamora years ago, he would have adopted them in a heartbeat.  
  
“We’re tied up.” Tony proclaimed.   
  
The pair were sat opposite one another, playing a friendly game of _Paper Football_ but instead of paper, they were using little pieces of triangular metal.  
  
Nebula smiled, but she dropped it, in an instance, but Tony counted it as a win, “Feel the tension?” He asked, “It’s fun.” He purposefully tossed the piece of metal off to the side, missing Nebula’s goal by a long shot, “That was terrible. Now you have a chance to win.”   
  
“Okay.” Nebula set up her piece, while Tony moved his arms into play.

She flicked it, and it landed in the centre of Tony’s goal, “And... you've won.” Nebula flinched back in disbelief, “Congratulations.” He held out his hand, “Fair game.” She cautiously shook it, “Good sport. Have fun?”  
  
Nebula looked away as she settled back into her chair, “It was fun.”

* * *

Entering the third week aboard the Benatar, Tony didn’t have the strength to play anymore. He barely had the strength to move, but Nebula was on hand to help. There wasn't enough food or water to keep Tony sustained, meaning that he had deteriorated relatively quickly. Even if they had resources, it would be pointless, because they barely had any oxygen left. He was fragile but would, given the chance, go toe-to-toe with Thanos.   
  
He sprawled himself across the floor, leaning up against the back of a chair. He knew he was going to die, and in a way, he felt guilty. If Pepper was still out there, then she’d have to find a way to live on, with their unborn child, after losing her son and her fiancé in the space of a few weeks. Tony knew that she was strong, but, how much can one person truly take before crumbling?  
  
He needed her to know that he loved her, and he tried, he really did. The _Iron Man_ Helmet still worked, it didn’t connect to the hub, but if it ever passed a satellite, maybe Pepper would get the memo.  
  
He reached forward and pressed his hand against the side of the mask, it flickered to life. He let out an exasperated sigh, “This thing on?” He asked, as his device scanned him. It was on and _recording_ , “Hey, Miss Potts…” He leaned back, “Pep.” He jolted when his back hit the chair behind him, movement, touch, everything hurt, “If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker.”  
  
That woman from his fight in Tennessee was right, Tony was a cheap trick with too many one-liners. Humour, it was all he had left, if he let that go, his walls would cave in.   
  
“I don't know if you're ever going to see these. I don't even know if you're still…” He stopped, cutting that thought off, “Oh god, I hope so. Today is day 21..” He shook his head, “Uh 22.” He corrected, “You know, if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into a void of space, I'd say I'm feeling better today. The infection's run its course…”  
  
He looked over to where Nebula stood, with her back turned towards him, he smiled at her, knowing she’d never truly know how grateful he was.  
  
“Thanks to the blue meanie back there. You'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic.” He smirked, he gestured weakly with one hand, “Some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves about 48 hours of flight time. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1000 light-years from the nearest 7 -11. Oxygen will run out _tomorrow_. And that'll be it.”  
  
There was a graceful idealism that came with the reality that Tony would die out here, miles away from home, there was a chance he’d be with Peter again. Tony had never given the afterlife much thought, but then he met Thor and faced an alien army. If that was all real, death couldn’t be the end.   
  
“And Pep, I …” He hiccuped, “I know I said no more surprises, but I was really hoping to pull off one last one. But it looks like... well you know what it looks like.”  
  
Tony couldn’t bring himself to say sorry, even though it needed to be said. _I’m sorry_ were the last words Peter ever spoke, and Tony couldn't bear to repeat them.  
  
“Don't feel bad about this.” Tony told her as he rubbed his temple with his hand trying to ignore his crippling headache, “I mean, if you grovel for a couple of weeks, and then move on with enormous guilt.” He buried his face into his hands, “I should probably lie down for a minute, rest my eyes.”   
  
Tony knew he wouldn’t have to be weighed down by the loss of Peter for much longer, that would all be on Pepper. He wasn’t the only one who lost a kid, and Pepper needed to hear that in some messed up way, that they would be _okay._  
  
“I promise you that…” Tony started, his throat tightening as he spoke, “Wherever I go next. I’ll look after him _._ ” He sniffled, brushing his hand through his hair, “I’ll keep him safe, Pep. He won’t be...alone anymore, he…” He couldn’t do it anymore, talk about Peter. It was a pain he would never be able to describe, like being torn apart and put back together wrong, “Please know that...when I drift off, it will be like every night lately. I’m fine, totally fine. I dream about you.” He admitted, his voice low, “Because it’s _always_ you.”  
  
Tony switched the helmet off and moved back, gently guiding a jacket over his shoulders. He laid down on the ground, his thoughts locked onto memories of Peter, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. The family he found, all by himself, and _god_ , he loved them.   
  
He closed his eyes and slipped away into the darkness.   
  
He didn’t drift for long, when he started to become aware of his surroundings, he knew that Nebula had moved him to one of the chairs at the front of the ship. He tried to fall back to sleep, but a warm light cast over his face, making it hard to relax. He flinched, holding up his hand to block it. The light got brighter as if it were moving towards him.   
  
He opened his eyes, and stared, shocked by what he was seeing. The light wasn’t a passing star, it was a woman, dressed in a red and blue suit, with a golden star in the centre. She wasn’t wearing a mask, which led Tony to the conclusion that she was unearthly. The light dispersed around her, and she greeted him with a smile.  
  
Tony’s heart dropped in his chest when he realised what this meant, he was going home, _without_ _Peter_ _._ That was genuinely terrifying. 

* * *

It was dark when the Benatar touched down outside the Avengers Headquarters. The lights were on, so Tony guessed someone was home. It was the _who_ that concerned him. He wasn’t sure if he was prepared to see the team, especially not Steve. He hadn’t seen him since the bunker, and he was not in the condition to deal with all of that, not on top of losing Peter. That day in Siberia, part of Tony died. That’s what the betrayal of a friend can do to you. What truly broken him that day, was when he saw Peter, his son rushed in, with a broken wrist and a tainted childhood. After Peter learnt what Steve had kept from Tony, something in him snapped. That something was his _innocence_.   
  
Tony didn’t want to see anyone, because they all adored Peter, he’d have to tear the hope that Peter was still alive away from them. _All of them_.   
  
Nebula guided Tony down the ramp, he made sure he kept his eyes locked on the stairs because he feared to see who was waiting to greet him. At the bottom of the stairs, he felt a strong hand press against his shoulder. He shuddered. _Steve_ , it was Steve, it had to be. He looked up, and his intuition was right. It was Steve, and he didn’t look any different. _Still the same guy who bloodied Tony to a pulp._  
  
Tony stumbled down the last couple of stairs as Steve clung onto him tightly, Tony looked back up to Nebula, before turning away, he wrapped a reluctant hand around Steve’s arm, “Couldn't stop him.” Tony coughed out, not sure of what else he could say without breaking.  
  
“Neither could I.” Steve sighed as he guided Tony along the field.  
  
Tony stopped in his tracks, pulling on Steve’s arm. He had just realised that he was back on earth. Somewhere he never thought he’d be _again_. He was home, but Peter was dead, so this would never truly be his home. He looked up into Steve’s eyes, “I lost…”   
  
_Peter_. He couldn’t say it, it lodged in his throat. He hadn’t said it since he lost him. Nebula only knew his name because Tony had written it down.  
  
“I lost _my_ kid.” He choked, he watched the colour fade from Steve’s cheeks and the light disappear from his eyes. He knew that Steve was one of the many to adore Peter, he had a right to mourn him, but he didn’t know that Peter never forgave him, “He’s gone.”  
  
Steve sighed, “Tony, _we_ lost.”  
  
Tony couldn’t deal with Steve, so he turned his thoughts to Pepper, “Is, uh...?” He heard movement across the grass, a shadow cast over him. He melted at the sight of his fiancée - safe and alive. _She was still alive._ Horrifyingly that meant, when the dust settled on her relief to see Tony, she’d find out that their son didn’t make it. Tony wasn’t sure if there was a word for what they were. You lose your parents, you’re an _orphan_. Your significant other, you’re a _widow_. Perhaps there was a word to describe what they were now, but it wouldn’t ease their pain. They lost Peter, that was that.   
  
“Oh, my God!” Pepper exclaimed as he locked herself around him, “Oh, my God!”  
  
Tony closed his eyes as he tightened his grip, pulling his arm away from Steve’s grasp, “It’s okay.” He lied. They parted, and he pressed a kiss against her cheek.  
  
She stood motionless, not even moving when Tony pulled on her hand. She stared at the ship, her focus was locked onto the dark and empty entrance, where Peter would never be. Tony didn’t have to say anything, he just held her hand, so she wasn’t alone in her realisation. Tears spilt down her cheeks as she kept looking over, ready for some sort of miracle.  
  
“Pep…”   
  
She turned to him, her lower lip trembling, “No.” She cut in, “Please…” She fell down onto her heels, and shook her head in a repetitive motion, “Please, no, not him.” She pleaded, “Tony, _please_.” Tony threw himself around her, she fought back, throwing her arms out, “No, no!”   
  
“I’m sorry.” He finally said it, because he had to. It was the only thing that was right to say at the moment, but it was truly agonising, “I’m so sorry.”  
  
“Not my _baby_.” Pepper sobbed as she sunk in his arms, screaming at she crumbled.  
  
Tony pressed a kiss in her hair, as he peered over her shoulder, that was when the gravity of their loss collapsed on his shoulders. Losing Peter was the worst, but somehow, watching what his loss did to others, made it so much worse.   
  
Natasha stood, her hair was now blonde and short, but she was still Nat. Peter’s _Auntie Nat_ , that would go to the end of the universe for him. Panic etched across her face, as she scanned the ship, searching for hope, like Pepper before her. She cried out, something in Russian that Tony couldn’t understand, but he could tell that she knew. He'd never seen her so broken before, so _human_. She’d been trained, engineered into the _perfect_ assassin, but Peter, he wormed his way into her life, breaking through her cold exterior to see who was underneath. Now, she’d lost him, and she had no idea what to do, but break.  
  
She turned quickly, and bolted into the arms of Rhodey; he clumsily caught her, but stood strong, wrapping his arms protectively around her back, as she sobbed on his shoulder. He looked up to Tony, who could only shake his head. Rhodey blinked away tears, “Oh, Pete.”

* * *

Tony sat in a wheelchair in one of the communal lounges. He was attached to a drip, and he hid behind his signature sunglasses. The team were dotted across the room, and holographic images of those who dusted were flickering around. Tony knew he’d been asked here to discuss Thanos, but to him, it felt like a discount group therapy session, that he did not want to be apart of.  
  
“It's been twenty-three days since Thanos came to Earth.” Rhodey started.  
  
The image of Strange popped up in front of Tony, he looked away, still ashamed that the man had sacrificed the time stone, for his life. He was worth nothing compared to half the universe. _Scratch that, he was nothing compared to Peter._  
  
“World governments are in pieces,” Natasha said, her voice rough. It had been a long night, for all of them, “The parts that are still working are trying to take a census.”   
  
The picture of _Scott Lang_ hovering in front of Tony switched to Peter, and momentarily the air was knocked from his lungs because he hadn’t seen him since Titan. Natasha even picked up on this and froze for a second as tears filled her eyes. Tony looked at the picture, as soon as it switched off, he pushed his sunglasses up his nose and turned away.  
  
“And it looks like he did…” Natasha continued, “He did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent, of all living creatures.”  
  
“Where is he now?” Tony asked, looking up to Steve, “Where?”  
  
“We don't know.” Steve answered, his arms crossed against his chest,  “He just opened a portal and walked through.”  
  
Tony wheeled forward, his caught a glimpse of Thor, sat in the room next to them, with his chin dipped to his chest, “What's wrong with him?”  
  
“Oh, he's pissed.” A new voice mocked, Tony turned, stunned to see a literal talking Racoon sat on the ground, “ He thinks he failed. Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?”  
  
Tony held out his hand, “Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.”  
  
He shrugged, “Maybe I am.”  
  
“We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now.” Steve cut back in, “Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him.”  
  
_Oh, Nebula._ Tony knew she’d told the team what they’d been through together, but he wished she’d left out certain parts. The team were hopeless, and Tony was tired of being the one who had to find an escape route for them, he had paid his dues, he was done. “Who told you that? I didn't fight him.” He snapped, he tilted his head to his shoulder, “No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the store. That's what happened.”  
  
“Okay.” Steve sighed, almost _disappointedly_. Part of Tony wished he had the strength to punch him.  
  
“There was no fight. He's unbeatable.” Tony finished.   
  
“Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?” Steve asked.  
  
_Wow_ , Tony forgot how annoyingly optimistic Steve could be. It was like he thought their lives came straight out of a kids’ book, and it would all be solved if they simply _worked together._  
  
“Pfft!” Tony blew a raspberry as he saluted, he pointed up to Rhodey, “I saw this coming a few years back.” He’d never admitted this to the team before, but after everything, it was time they were faced with their painful reality, “I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming.”  
  
“Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus,” Steve told him. That was it, he crossed the line. Steve was the one who went against one hundred and seventeen countries, he was the one who didn’t tell Tony the truth about Bucky’s involvement with his parents’ death. He lied and shattered Peter’s childhood in the process. He broke _everything_ and expected Tony to be the one to put it all together again. Like he always did.  
  
“And I needed you.” Tony hissed, “As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, Cap. Sorry.” He moved forward, and slammed the plate in front of him with a closed fist, “You know what I _need_?” He barked as he stood up, “I need to shave.” He let out a swallow breath, “And I need to,” He stared at the floor, “I’ve gotta do something for my kid.” _A funeral?_ No, that was too much. They didn’t even have his body. _A memorial?_ Maybe even one for Spider-Man too, because Queens lost their hero too.  
  
“Tony,” Natasha said, warily.   
  
“I don’t know what but he deserves..” Tony swallowed his grief, and concentrated on his unbridled anger as he looked back over to Steve, “Hey, I believe I remember telling all you…” He ripped his cannula out as Rhodey chanted his name, attempting to get him to stop, but Tony knew that no one could blame him for this. He watched his son die, and that’s enough to drive anyone crazy, “Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armour around the world!” He cried as he moved his hand around haphazardly, “Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that's what we _needed_!”  
  
“Well, that didn't work out, did it?” Same old Steve, he always had an answer for everything.  
  
“I said, ‘ _we'd lose_.’” Tony reminded him, “And you said, ‘ _We’ll do that together too_.’” He mocked his voice as he sneered, “And guess what, cap? _We lost_. And you weren't there.” He stumbled back, Rhodey reached over, grabbing his arms, “But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the _Aven_ gers!” He spat, he tapped Rhodey’s shoulder, “Not the _Pre_ vengers.”  
  
“Okay,” Rhodey said softly, but assertively as he tried to get Tony to calm down. Tony felt bad that he got stuck in the crossfire because Rhodey had known Peter since he was a baby, he lost his nephew, and instead of being able to mourn, he was forced to babysit his best friend, to stop him from doing something stupid.  
  
“Right?”  
  
“You made your point.” Rhodey pushed on his shoulders, “Just sit down.”  
  
“Okay…”  
  
Rhodey kept his hands on him, “Okay?”  
  
“Nah, nah. Here's my point.” Tony scrambled to break free, he had no ill will toward Rhodey, only Steve, “You know what?”  
  
“Tony, you're sick.”  
  
Tony pointed over to Carol, the _glowy superhero_ who saved his life, “She's great, by the way.”     
  
“Sit down. Sit.” Rhodey pleaded.  
  
“We need you. You're new blood.” She told Carol, Peter would have adored her that was for sure. She had a cold exterior, so Peter would have warmed to her instantly, and vice versa, “We’re a bunch of tired old mules!”   
  
He escaped Rhodey’s hold and stormed over to Steve with an accusing finger pointed at his face, he stopped when they were nose-to-nose.  
  
“I got nothing for you, Cap!” He screamed, he let out a strained breath, and he quieted his voice to a harsh whisper, “I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options.” He held out his hands, “Zero. Zip. _Nada_.” He spat, “No trust. Liar.”  
  
He reached his hand up, and tore off his nanotech suit arc reactor from his chest, he slapped it into Steve’s palm, “Here, take this. You find him, and you put that on. You _hide_.”  
  
Black dots swam in his eyes and he collapsed down to his knees. “Tony!” Steve exclaimed, panicked as he reached out to grab him.  
  
“I'm fine.” Tony choked out breathlessly, “I…”   
  
The darkness took over, before Tony had a chance to fight it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vilomah: a word for a parent whose child has died.


	123. Hand-Me-Downs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update for you all today because I'm moving back to University for my second year! 😊 So, I wouldn't be able to upload tonight. Upload days next week will still be the same (hopefully) 😊

**FOUR MONTHS LATER**

* * *

It was terrifying, how quickly time sped past Tony. Somehow, life without Peter was fleeting, too fast to keep up with, but at the same time, it was unbearably slow. It didn’t make _any_ sense, and it still didn’t when his bereavement counsellor or Pepper tried to explain it to him. Some days, he would wake up and for a while, he would forget that Peter was gone. Those were the moments that went really fast but as soon as he properly woke up, gathered his bearings, he’d remember, then everything would happen around him in slow motion, but again, everything was too quick. Almost out of focus. He could only compare it to a hangover; the days went fast, but his mind was slow.  
  
Thor killed Thanos, and stones, _well,_  they were destroyed. Tony wished he had more of a story when it came to that but he didn’t. He wasn’t even part of it, he’d been unconscious when they went after him. And, when Rhodey told him what happened, Tony didn’t even react. He wasn’t exactly with it, and all he wanted to do was go home. He wasn’t thick, and he knew that Thanos hadn’t been either. It made sense that the Titan destroyed the stones, he got what he wanted, and he did everything to stop his hard work from being reversed. Even in death, _Thanos won._  Tony wanted to be furious, but he couldn’t put the blame on anyone, except for Thanos, and he was gone, so that was that.

Afterwards, Tony did what he always does when the world is too loud, he hid away, spending most of his time in his lab below the lakehouse.

He didn’t cut himself off completely, not from Pepper. _He couldn’t._ She was six months pregnant and she was going through the same thing; she lost her kid too, out of everyone, she was the one who knew how Tony felt.   
  
If he wasn’t in the lab, exhausting every possible way to bring Peter back, he was with Pepper. They spent time together in counselling, where they spoke mostly about Peter and the weight that came with having another child in the wake of losing one. The counsellor was lovely and helpful, despite the fact that she lost people too. Everyone had.

When they weren’t in therapy, they were at pregnancy scans, making sure their baby was healthy. Tony baby-proofed the lakehouse, he knew that babies didn’t crawl or walk straight away, but he wanted to be prepared, he also needed something to do to distract himself from falling apart.

He didn’t sleep most nights. He’d creep around downstairs, looking at crackpot theories and conducting experiments that he could use to bring Peter back, it always led to a dead end. Nothing worked. It seemed that death was the one thing that Tony couldn’t cheat, but he would never stop trying. No matter how many _years_ past.  
  
“Shit.” It was two o’clock in the morning, Tony was in the kitchen, getting himself a glass of juice. He hadn’t been able to stop his hand from shaking, so he’d misjudged the position of the breakfast bar, smashed the glass and sliced open his left-hand open.  
  
The light flickered on and soft footsteps echoed down the staircase, “Tony?”   
  
“Damn it.” Tony cursed through gritted teeth, he leant his elbow on the side and turned to face Pepper.   
  
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her tired eyes trying to adjust to the light. She was dressed in one of Tony’s old and oversized t-shirts that ironically Tony had hardly ever worn because for years Peter stole them and used them as pyjamas. Pepper confessed that wearing them felt like Peter was keeping her and his sibling safe.   
  
“Sorry.” Tony said hastily, “Didn’t mean to wake you.”  
  
“It’s okay.” She reassured him as her focussed shifted to his bloodied hand, “I was already up.”  
  
“Oh.” Tony kicked a few shards of glass away so he could circle around the counter, “Everything okay?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” She rested her hand against her small but prominent bump, “We’re okay. Are you?” Tony hummed while walking towards the first aid cabinet.   
  
Pepper stepped in front of him, “Your hand?”  
  
Tony held it behind his back, “I’m fine.” He wasn’t in the right condition to talk, and he didn’t want to hurt Pepper. He didn’t want her to be involved with his insanity, in all his last-ditch attempts to save Peter.  
  
Pepper was persistent though and she didn’t take any of Tony’s shit, she held out her hand, “Let me see.”  
  
Tony stepped back, holding up his one good hand in surrender, “I’m okay, Pep. I can do this…”  
  
“Tony.” She cut off, concern etched across her face.  
  
“I’m okay!” He bellowed. He yelled, he actually yelled at his heavily pregnant wife when all she was trying to do was help. He felt like a monster, like the man his father had been to his mother, “Shit, I’m sorry.” He backed away, his voice wavering, “I didn’t mean to shout, Pep.”  
  
“I understand, honey.” She said completely unphased by the matter; she pulled out the med-kit, and gestured to one of the stools, “Come here.”  
  
Tony moved over and sat down, he didn’t make a sound or even try to start a conversation as she stitched up his hand. He did hiss a few times because the antiseptic didn’t help numb the pain. Pepper was gentle, this wasn’t her first rodeo with patching up his injuries, she’d been doing it way before he became a superhero, even the time _before_ Peter.

He could tell, from the look in her eyes, that she wanted to talk. She wanted to discuss how and why Tony was getting a cup of juice at this hour while surrounded by paperwork on his one hundred and one ways that he could potentially save Peter. He'd tried to keep his research to himself, but it was scattered everywhere, so the secret was out.  
  
“Ow.” He groaned.  
  
Pepper rolled her eyes, “Don’t be a baby.”  
  
Tony deflated, “I’m sorry, Pep.”  
  
Pepper placed a strip of gauze over his hand, “Stop saying that.”  
  
Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, “I can’t.”  
  
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, “I get it, Tony.” She stared at the papers and the holographic research that was projected around the room, “I do…” Her throat cracked, and she dipped her chin to her chest.  
  
“Please don’t cry.”   
  
Pepper leaned forward, pressing her hand against his cheek,  “I don’t want to lose you too.”  
  
“You won’t…” He jumped down, stumbling away from her. He waved his hand up, “Close it down, Fri.” He ordered, all of the holographs switched off simultaneously.   
  
Pepper stepped down from her seat, “Tony.” She beckoned, her voice quiet, “Look at me.” Tony wiped a face over his face before turning back to look at her, “Peter is... _was_ …” She tripped, it was strange how complicated tenses were after you lose your kid, it was a slip up that broke them every time. She let out a sharp sigh as she composed herself, “He was everything. And well, you used to be this arrogant ass, who didn't give a crap about what you did or the way you _acted_.” She snickered through a sob, “Uh, when we lost the Parkers, and you took Peter in, you were suddenly a dad.” She smiled, genuinely, although the redness in her eyes painted a completely different story, she held out her hands toward Tony, “Not the most conventional dad ever, but you’re great at it.”  
  
Tony couldn’t hold back a slight chuckle, but it was strained and he could feel tears filling his eyes.  
  
Pepper pressed a hand against her chest, “You switched from the man you were pretending to be, to the man you were meant to be.” She explained, “The man I always knew you could be. I watched you change. And it was beautiful.” Her throat seized, she coughed, “I know he's gone, and he shouldn’t be. He should be here, with us. _Safe._ There is always gonna be this space where he was, and still should be.” She shook her head and flung her hand back, “Just, please don't go back.”  
  
Tony stared at her, tears running down his cheeks. “I'm sorry.” He breathed, he placed a hand on his hip, and span around on his heel, “God, I’m so sorry. I won’t ever...do that to you.” He couldn't go back to the man he was before Peter, that would be the most selfish thing that he could do to her, and to Peter, in his memory.   
  
Pepper stepped closer, “Tony…”  
  
“I never thought losing Peter was even possible, you know?” He cried out, she stopped dead in her tracks, “Even with everything we’ve been through. Even after that _vision_. Even after he became Spider-Man!” He buried his hand in his hair, and yanked on it, “Now, he’s gone…” Pepper blinked away tears as she listened, “And I just...I don’t even know who I am anymore, honey.” He admitted, “I don’t even know if I’m his dad anymore.”  
  
Pepper moved forward and grabbed his good hand, pulling him close, “Of course you are.”  
  
“I forget that he isn’t here sometimes.” He sniffled, “How does that work? Why do I do that to myself? I call out for him, and he’s not there…”  
  
“I do that too.” Pepper cried, “I knock on his door to wake him up for school and then... I remember, and it’s like…”  
  
“Losing him all over again.” Tony finished, Pepper pulled on his shoulder until their foreheads were pressed together, he locked his fingers around her hand, “I wanna be a good dad…”  
  
“You already are.” She told him, “You’re still a dad, even now _._ It’s always gonna hurt, but we’re still a family.”  
  
“Yeah.” A small sad smile crawled onto his face, “He would have been an amazing big brother.” Pepper let out a soft chuckle, “We can do this.” He closed his eyes, “For them.” _For what could have been._

* * *

The pair fell asleep in each other's arms on the couch with Peter’s favourite show, _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ playing in the background. It wasn’t long until Tony was woken up by a familiar noise coming upstairs. He carefully moved, making sure he didn’t wake Pepper, he pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and headed upstairs.  
  
Ernő, Peter’s adorable but very needy cat stood at the top, meowing as loud as he possibly could to get the attention he craved. Tony bent down onto one knee, “Do you have any idea what time it is, young man?” He asked as he reached forward and stroked him, Ernő repaid this by brushing up against his leg and purring, Tony gestured downstairs as he shushed him, “You don’t wanna wake Mum, kiddo.”   
  
Ernő meowed louder this time, if he was talking, Tony would have mistaken that for back-chat.  
  
“Don’t argue with me, Mister, or I’ll take down one of your Cat Trees.” Tony jokingly scolded, Ernő meowed and started to walk down the corridor, he turned his head back, to make sure Tony was following, “ _What_? Okay, I’m coming.” He couldn’t help but feel like he was losing it as he followed his cat around the corner, “Where are you taking me?”  
  
Tony’s stomach churned, and his heart leapt up into his throat when Ernő stopped outside Peter’s bedroom door and started scratching at it persistently, wanting to get in.   
  
“Oh.” Tony crouched down to his level, “You missing Peter, baby? Me too.” They hadn’t gone into Peter’s room yet, nothing had been moved or changed since the last time Peter stepped foot in there. All of Peter’s stuff, like the shirts Pepper, wore to bed came from the washing pile. Everything else was in his room, and they weren’t ready to face it yet. “He’s not in there.” Tony explained, “Sorry.” Ernő kept scratching, “Okay, okay.” Tony caved under the weight of it all and jumped up to open the door, “I got it.” He pushed it, and Ernő rushed in.   
  
Tony hesitantly moved, until he was hovering in the doorway, his eyes roamed around, taking in everything they could see through his tears. It was a _mess_. Peter’s duvet hung off the end of his bed, though most of it was balled up on the floor; his school homework, quiz cards and books were scattered across the carpet and desk. He hadn’t opened his blinds. There were plates on the floor that had more than five months growth of mold, so Tony hated to think how long they’d be sat there. There was only one presentable section of his room which were his shelves, where his Star Wars Merchandise and Lego Figurines lived.   
  
Peter’s Decathlon Jacket was hung on the back of his chair, and on the desk, there was an itinerary for, what would have been, his next decathlon with the team. Tony slowly walked over to study the sheet. It had been drawn up by MJ, one of Peter’s closest friends but also, whenever she had been mentioned, he had blushed. He was almost too blatantly obvious. Reading it tugged at Tony’s heart because the next decathlon was near the lakehouse, so Peter had asked if he could have the whole team over for the night, and Tony was going to drop them all off in the morning. Apparently, Ned noted that being driven by Iron Man would be the best confidence boost for the team.   
  
That day never came. Thanos happened, he snatched Peter and most of his friends away; Ned and MJ, they were gone _too_. Tony hated feeling it but is there a sense of relief when Pepper told him that because Ned and MJ would never have to suffer Peter’s loss or vice versa, Peter would never have to suffer losing them. Tony hoped, wherever they are now, they’re together.  
  
He moved back to leave, but his foot caught on one of Peter’s many bags and he tripped forward a little. He looked down at the non-sentient object like it was its fault. He wasn’t sure how Peter had navigated through this, it was a shambles, but an organized one because Peter had never forgotten his homework.  
  
He looked up when he heard Pepper calling his name through a yawn, she skidded to a halt when she turned the corner. Her face melted at the sight of an _open_ door, tears instantly filled her eyes like Tony before her, she moved forward, leaning her hand against the frame, “Everything alright?"  
  
“Yeah.” Tony pointed to where Ernő had curled up at the end of Peter’s bed, “Just letting Ernő in.”  
  
Pepper smiled as she stepped in, “That makes sense, he always slept in here before.”  
  
Tony shuffled through the chaos and sat down on the bed, he brushed his trembling fingers through Ernő’s fur, “Can’t take that away from him.” He shrugged, “I’ll fit a cat-flap.”  
  
“Sounds good.” Pepper navigated her way through, Tony went to help but she rolled her eyes when he held his hand out, it was obvious that she was a pro at this. She sat down beside him and tucked her head against his shoulder.   
  
Tony lay his head on hers, and they sat in silence for a moment, drinking in Peter’s positions, everything that helped define who he was, Tony started to chuckle to himself when he noticed a bottle of web fluid on the corner of the desk. Peter had never had the best self-preservation skills, Tony was surprised that no one ever worked out his secret identity, “Wow.”  
  
“What?”   
  
“Did he ever clean his room?” 

* * *

Spending time in Peter’s room was a wake-up call that Tony had needed, even though it hurt, it taught him an incredibly important lesson; Peter wouldn’t be impressed by the way that Tony had decided to shut everyone out of his life besides Pepper.   
  
For two reasons: Tony shouldn’t bottle up how he feels, and second, he shouldn’t abandon those who love him. The next morning he invited Rhodey and Happy over for dinner and a needed catch-up. Bruce was off the table because no one knew where he was, he’d left to find himself, whatever that meant. Thor was busy managing the new Asgard, and like Tony, had cut ties with everyone, it was impossible to get into contact with him. Tony wasn’t ready to sit down with Steve, that was for another day. Clint, was a different story entirely because he lost his family; he moved too fast to catch and he was leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Tony yearned for him, knowing, if he’d lost Pepper too, he could have possibly gone down the same road.  
  
There was one person though, who deserved better - Natasha. She was the one who stayed at the Headquarters, running everything to the best of her ability. The last on-duty Avenger, so to _speak_. Peter had loved her with all his heart, and losing him had helped shaped many of Natasha’s recent decisions as the leader of the new and approved team. She had even sent out the Iron Legion to Queens, using them as the line of defence Spider-Man had once been. Ever since they met her back in 2010, Natasha became Peter’s lifeline in the chaotic superhero world that they all called home, and unexpectedly, he became hers too. It was clear as day to see that Natasha loved him, and she would have given up _everything_ to keep him safe, given the chance.   
  
Stepping into the Headquarters was for the first time in months was a surreal experience, it was made ten times stranger by how empty it was. Natasha was alone, this was it. Everyone else either quit or _died_. Tony went straight for the main kitchen, to first make himself a cup of coffee before he searched for Natasha, he also needed to put down the box down that he was carrying.  
  
He placed it down on the breakfast bar, and made a beeline for the coffee pot, “If you had told me you were coming over…” Natasha greeted, stepping into the light, somehow she even seemed threatening in pyjamas, “I would have prepared more snacks.”  
  
Tony held out his arms, “Hey.”   
  
“Hey.” She pulled him into a hug, “So..” She stepped back, and sat on the edge of the breakfast bar, “Is this a social call, or have you come to kick me out?”  
  
Tony laughed, “I am way too scared of you to see how the latter would pan out, even when you’re in pyjamas.”  
  
Natasha raised her eyebrows, “Good.”  
  
Tony took a sheet of paper off the top of the box, “I actually came to give you this.” He held it out, and she took it off him.  
  
“Is this my lease?” She teased, “Do I have to start paying rent?”   
  
“No.” He blurted, “Well, I’m giving you the building.”  
  
Natasha’s face fell as she read the agreement, “Wait, what?”  
  
“Everyone else quit.” Tony shrugged, he started to prepare his coffee, “You’re still here, so, yeah, the building’s yours. _Within reason_. I’ll keep paying for everything.”  
  
Natasha placed the sheet on her lap, “Are you sure?”  
  
“I’d only trust you with this, Nat.” He pointed over to her, “You’re the only one who is still going. You deserve this.”  
  
“Thank you.” She placed the sheet next to her, “So, how’s Pepper? And the baby?”  
  
“Good. Healthy. Pepper’s a chap.” He cradled his coffee in his hands, “I think she beat morning sickness just by being stern.” Natasha snorted, “How are the _new_ team?”  
  
“They're okay.” She tilted her ear to her shoulder as she narrowed her eyes, “They still need beating into shape, but they’re _good_.”   
  
“I’m sorry we left you with this.”   
  
“You have an excuse.” She said, half-serious, half-jokey, it can’t be nice to be abandoned after you lose everything you once knew, “I’m okay.”  
  
“Well, I’m only a call away if you need anything.”   
  
“I know.” She smiled, “Same here. If you need a babysitter.”  
  
Tony scoffed, “Babysitter? You’re their _Auntie Nat_.” He watched as her eyes glazed over, she stared down at her feet, avoiding eye contact, “I hope you’ll be visiting all the time.”  
  
Natasha brushed a hand over her face, “Yeah, I will. So, you picked out any names?"  
  
“Morgan.”   
  
“Morgan Stark?” She sang, “Definitely has a ring to it. Middle names?”  
  
Tony let out a heavy nasal exhale and leant into the counter opposite, “Well, for a boy, it’s Peter…” Natasha nodded as her mouth twitched into a slight smile, she bit her bottom lip as it started to tremble, “You know, gotta, um…” He cut himself off to gather his bearings, “For a girl, we’re _stuck._ We’re not fans of Petra or Penny. We want it to be...for Peter, you know?”  
  
“You’ll find it.” She reassured him, the level of certainty in her voice made Tony believe, “I’m sure.”  
  
“We will.”  
  
Natasha turned and nudged the cupboard box next to her, “What’s in here?”  
  
Tony clapped his hands together, “Oh, yeah.” He moved closer, and opened the box, “Last week, Ernő woke us up in the middle of the night because he wanted to go and sleep in Pete’s room.” Natasha grinned knowingly at the mention Ernő, Tony didn’t have to explain who that was because he knew for a fact that Natasha had been there the day Peter found him, “I, um, well.” He stuttered, “Peter’s everywhere. I see him... _everywhere_. Photos, toys, books, school stuff. I kept thinking about you because he’d kill me if he knew we all abandoned you up here.”  
  
“Tony…”  
  
“So, uh. I brought you some...stuff.” He reached in and took hold of a Rubik's cube when he pulled it out, Natasha's throat cracked, “Um, here.” He held it out, and guided it into her open palm, “You two and Rubik cubes, never quite understood it.”  
  
Natasha hugged it close to her chest, “It’s _our_ thing.”  
  
“I know.” Tony hesitantly reached into the box and took hold of Peter’s Midtown blue sweatshirt with shaking hands. It was a joint agreement between him and Pepper that Natasha deserved something to hold onto, something of Peter’s to remind her why she kept fighting on while everyone else had stopped. Even though Tony was surrounded by Peter wherever he went, it didn’t make letting his things go any easier.  
  
“Tony?”  
  
Tony turned back, holding out the sweatshirt with two hands, “We want you to have this.”  
  
Natasha stared at it, like a deer in headlights. She reached forward, laying her hand on top of it, she bit down hard on her lip and flinched back, “I can’t--”  
  
“Take it, please.” He pushed it toward her, “He’d want you to have it.” Natasha pulled it from him, and slowly unfolded it, “It should fit.” She tried to speak but only a small gasp made it past her lips. She cautiously guided it over her head and then looped her arms through it. Peter had been a few inches taller than her, so it draped down to just above her knees, and the sleeves covered her hands, so she clamped down on corners while she crossed her arms, “See.”   
  
Natasha looked up at him with misty-eyes, “Thank you.”  
  
“You remember when he found out he got in?” Tony asked as he pushed the box away, and sat beside her on the breakfast bar. Peter getting into Midtown wasn’t unexpected, but finding out in front of the Avengers was. It happened hours before Ultron, hours before everything changed. It was one of Tony’s favourite memories of the team, “He was shocked. I mean, _actually_ shocked. He never realised how clever he was.”  
  
Natasha snickered, “Oh he knew, he was just humble.”  
  
“Very.”  
  
Natasha tapped one of her hands on his, “You planning to stop by?” She gestured back, “I’m about to watch A New Hope.”  
  
Tony sighed, _A New Hope_ was Peter and Natasha’s favourite Star Wars film, it was the foundation of their relationship. Tony knew he couldn’t leave her alone to watch that, Peter would kill him, “If it’s no trouble.”  
  
Natasha rolled her eyes, “Shut up.” She mocked as she jumped off the surface, she held out her hand, “Come on."  
  
Tony grabbed it and allowed her to pull him away toward the cinema room.  
  
_A New Hope._ Tony kept repeating in his head like a mantra and he didn't know why. He’d watched it thousands of times. When Peter was six, he watched it every day without fail for an entire year. It was Peter’s favourite film of all time, but that’s not why the title was stuck ricocheting around Tony’s head. It was hope. The word. __Hope, hope, hope_. _Tony liked how it sounded. It was a lovely word with such a burden after everything that had happened because everyone was looking for it. A news article once called Spider-Man the new hope of New York City, shortly after the incident with the Vulture. 

Hope wasn’t just a word, it was a word that connected to Peter. It also fit perfectly, _if_ they had a girl. _Morgan Hope Stark._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attention to those who are planning to read the alternative happy ending, keep reading for now, and I'll be linking it when the time comes 😊


	124. It's Quiet Uptown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I published an Iron Dad video using 'It's Quiet Uptown!'  
> You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia2hpsTzIyU

" _There are moments that the words don't reach_  
_There is suffering too terrible to name_  
_You hold your child as tight as you can_  
_And push away the unimaginable_."

* * *

  **FIVE YEARS LATER**

* * *

Tony cried when he held his daughter for the first time, _well,_  in all honesty, he broke. He remembered looking into her big brown eyes, that searched for an answer to why he was so sad. As he held her, he was reminded that last time he held one of his children, he failed to keep them safe. _Peter._  His kid, that died in his arms, begging to be saved. Then, months later, he was holding Morgan Hope Stark. He couldn’t recall Pepper’s reassuring words, promising him that Morgan wasn’t going to fade away like Peter had, but in the years that followed, he was constantly reminded by those he loved that Morgan was safe, he didn’t have to hold on so tight. 

That wasn’t the only reason he cried though. There were a multitude of reasons; he loved her as soon as he laid eyes on her, she was everything he didn’t deserve; Peter wasn’t there, he wasn’t part of what should have collectively been one of the best days of their life. It was hard, to be happy, in the wake of losing Peter but they tried, they really did. 

The anxiety that weighed Tony down the most, was the one he thought made him a terrible father when in all honesty, it made a fantastic one. He feared that by having Morgan, he was replacing Peter. He didn’t realise by having that fear constantly follow him around, he was cancelling it out. Morgan wasn’t a replacement. _You can’t replace a child._ Peter would always be Peter, and Morgan would always be Morgan. One didn’t stand in the place of the other. Morgan gave Tony a reason to keep fighting. She made it possible for him to survive. The unexpected heartbreak for Morgan sat heavy on Tony’s chest. He hadn’t even thought of it because she hadn’t been alive when Peter died, she didn’t know him, but that’s what made it worse. She would most likely never meet her brother, who had already loved her, with every atom of his existence, when she hadn't even born yet. Morgan would grow up being asked if she had brothers or sisters, and she did, it just happened that he was already gone. The older she got, the more she’d realise everything she missed out on.  
  
Tony never gave up on Peter. He spent half his time raising Morgan and being there for Pepper, nut every other spare second was committed to finding a way to bring Peter home. Some of his ideas seemed logical but never worked. The others were insane but came from the heart of a very desperate individual. As Morgan got older and went to daycare. He’d try more, and _more._ Pepper let him as long as it didn’t swamp his life, she understood it was a coping mechanism, but it scared her, Tony knew that.   
  
He had to pack it in, to an extent, after he knocked himself out in the lab, attempting his latest in a long line of crackpot theories, trying to build his own infinity stones. Morgan was the one who found him, he woke to her screaming and clutching onto his arm in an unforgiving tight grip as she sobbed. She cried out, asking why she couldn’t wake him up, and why he was really _stupid_. In that moment, as he held her, muttering soft apologies, he saw Peter. Peter, who had cried his eyes out whenever Tony got hurt or was _stupid_.  He couldn’t do that again. If he did, Peter would most definitely _haunt_ him. He knew, his son would not approve of the time he spent trying to bring him back. When that time could be spent living the life he had left. It didn’t stop him though. From then on, he didn’t test anything out unless he was under supervision and that was after weeks of detailed risk assessments that had to be signed off by Pepper to give him the get-go.  
  
There were days that all three tried to find normality together. The rare occasions Tony didn't let himself get paralysed by his guilt to save Peter, although it was at the back of his mind, like always. Peter was everywhere. Morgan wasn't a _replacement_ , because Peter never went anywhere. They lost him, but he was still around, _so to speak_. They didn’t stop pretending he didn’t exist the moment Morgan was born because Peter was kept alive in stories. The ones Morgan was told from a young age, she was entertained by stories of her brother and his secret life as Spider-Man, unlike other children her age, who adored tales of princesses and dragons.   
  
As far as Tony was concerned, Peter was gone, but he never left.  
  
“Are these our gojis?” Tony stood in the kitchen with Pepper, helping her prepare lunch. He could see Gerald, his rather spritely alpaca, out the window, chopping on the grass. Ernő kept circling the kitchen, meowing as he went, obviously ready for his lunch too.   
  
“They are not.” Pepper informed him as he examined the ones in the bowl he was holding.  
  
He raised his eyebrow, “What’s wrong with ours?”  
  
Pepper stopped cutting the vegetables, to glare at him, " _Yo_ _ur_ alpaca ate them all.”  
  
Tony clicked his tongue, “Aww….”   
  
“All of them.”  
  
He moved around and stopped by her other side, “What a glowing endorsement.” He sang as he placed the bowl down beside her, “First of all, Gerald is _our_ alpaca.”  
  
Pepper snorted and shook her head, “He’s not _my_ alpaca if he’s eating my gojis.”   
  
“Okay…” Tony took a handful of gojis and hovered them over the salad bowl, he actually had no idea what he was doing. He could cook, _yes_ , but he didn’t understand anything that Pepper made, “They’re going to be nice in the salad, right?”   
  
“No, no.” Pepper snapped, holding her hand out to stop him, “Don’t, don’t, don’t.” Tony stopped in his tracks, and retracted his hand,  “Can you put it down?” She asked, “Get out of my kitchen.”  
  
Tony moved toward the backdoor, but had to make an abrupt stop in his tracks to stop himself from tripping over his very needy cat, “Careful there, Ernő.” He cooed as he crouched down to pick him up, “One of these days you’re gonna kill me, then what would you do, kiddo?” Ernő let out a loud meow, “Yes dear, I love you too.” He could hear Pepper giggling at their interaction as he  placed Ernő down on the surface where his food and water bowl lived, he then turned to grab his jumper from the hanger, “So, we’re good here, right?”  
  
“Yeah, we’re great.” Pepper said, somewhat sarcastically, as Tony looped his jumper over his arms, “Tell Madam Secretary that lunch is in five.”  
  
Tony clicked the door open, “I will collect our alpha female posthaste.” He informed her, before stepping out, he stopped a few meters away from Gerald and whistled to gain his attention, “Hey you, yes _you_ , look at me when I’m speaking to you. Stay away from mum’s gojis or I’ll give you to the local petting zoo, okay?” Gerald was unphased and went back to grazing the grass, he was the most stubborn member of the Stark family, that was for sure. “Oh, forget it.” Tony rolled his eyes and turned back around, skipping down the stairs toward Morgan’s tent, where she spent most of her time.   
  
She wasn’t one for technology, which Tony admired. She loved the outside, where she played with her toys and her imagination. Most of her games were adapted from stories she heard about Spider-Man, she would have worshipped the ground Peter walked on if he was still around.  
  
Tony clapped his hands together as he closed the distance between him and the tent, “Chow time!” He announced as he grabbed one of her many plush toys of the ground, he sat down on a small wooden chair, “Morgoona?” He called, “Morgan H. Stark.” He proclaimed, “Want some lunch?”  
  
The tent flaps moved, and Morgan came out, with her hand raised, showing off her toy Iron Man repulsor. “Define lunch or be disintegrated.” Alarmingly, she was wearing the mask that went with Pepper’s Rescue Armor, and it was somehow turned on. She wasn’t a fan of modern tech but that didn’t mean she didn’t know how to use it.  She was sporting her favourite pink cardigan that was covered in prints of Flamingos, accompanied with flowery leggings and her favourite _Spider-Man_ shirt, which was a basic mock-up of the Stark suit, but over time the colour faded considering how often she wore it. Her outfit didn’t match, but her parents didn’t argue with her wanting to have her brother as close as possible.  
  
“Okay,” Tony said, with his hand held up in surrender. The mask was too big for Morgan’s head, and she was having to hold onto it, “You should not be wearing that, okay?”   
  
He moved forward, placing his hands on her shoulders, “That is part of a special anniversary gift, I'd made it for Mum.” He leaned closer, pressing a kiss on the side of the mask, he moved back and slowly pulled the helmet off her head, revealing her messy wind-swept hair underneath, he was surprised she’d managed to see through it, “There you go.” He muttered as he brushed her hair out of her eyes, “You thinking about lunch? I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce.”  
  
“No,” Morgan said, trying to react stern to his humour but he could see her fighting the urge to giggle. She was four, and like Peter before her, she’d grown accustomed to Tony’s dad jokes by the age of three, that didn’t mean they weren’t funny.   
  
“That's what you want.” Tony teased, he reached down picking up the Rescue helmet, “How did you... find this?”  
  
“Garage,” Morgan answered nonchalantly as she twirled her hair around her hands.  
  
“Rea _lly_?” Tony narrowed his eyes, “Were you looking for it?”  
  
“No.” She said defensively, “I found it though.” Yes, that was _believable_. Morgan seemed to appear with something new from the garage daily. Locking the doors didn’t work because somehow she was able to use her cuteness against Friday too. It was okay though if she took anything dangerous, Tony and Pepper were informed straight away. Most of the time she investigated Peter’s masks and web-shooters.  
  
“You like going to the garage, huh?” Tony asked as he scooped her up, “So does daddy.”  He started to walk up the garden, “It's fine, actually.” He told her looking down at the mask in his hand, “Your mum never wears anything I buy her.”  
  
Morgan lunged herself forward in his arms, trying to escape as she excitedly shrieked out something inaudible that Tony couldn’t help to understand. He was too busy making sure he didn’t drop her.  
  
“Auntie Nat!” Morgan screamed happily, this time, Tony understood what she said.  
  
He turned to see Natasha stood by an idol Aldi, her arms crossed over her chest. She visited quite often, whenever she had the chance. She was in Peter’s Midtown sweater, that had seen better days, much like Morgan’s Spider-Man shirt. She wore it on most days, like a comfort blanket.   
  
Tony soon realised this wasn’t a social call when Steve jumped out of the driver's seat. They weren’t friends, they spoke sometimes, but they just casual conversations. Not a friendship, not _anymore_. The fact that Scott Lang was behind Natasha, was an immediate red alarm too, considering up until right now, Tony thought he was dead.   
  
Tony bent down and freed Morgan from his arms, she beelined straight for her Aunt, chanting her name as she bolted over; Natasha crouched down and caught her, she whispered a soft hello and placed a kiss against her cheek before picking her up off the ground. 

* * *

_Time travel_. They had driven up here without so much as a phone call to propose something as stupid and impossible as _time travel_. Tony understood Natasha side of things, she was desperate. She had a guilt-complex that could one day marvel his, she wanted to solve this, bring those they had lost. She wanted to save Barton too, from the life he now led after losing everything. She spent most of her time, alone, in the Headquarters surrounded by the distant echoes of what once was. It was easy to go crazy in search of a happy ending.  
  
Steve, however, had somewhat moved on with his life. He retired as an Avenger shortly after Thanos died, now he ran therapy sessions and volunteered for numerous charities. In all their short-lived conversations, Steve told Tony that he’d found a way to live on in the wake of this, and wished that everyone else could too. So, him being here now seemed pretty hypocritical. Nevertheless, Tony could see why. Steve put up a brave stance, acted like he was head-strong enough to move on, but underneath it all, he wanted to do what he did best, play hero and win the war.

Scott, was a different story because had been stranded in the quantum realm for five years. _Well_ , five hours for him. Time moved on without him, and now he’s in a world he doesn’t recognize. Tony knew he would never understand what he was going through, but that was the problem; Scott was optimistic because, for him, it had barely been a day, he was still running on the unrealistic idealism that they could easily fix all of this. In Tony’s despair, his mind had often turned to the theory and plausibility of time travel but it ended with the same conclusion. Time travel is dangerous, even by his standards. It wasn’t clean cut like movies or stories suggested, it was terrifying.   
  
As soon as the words slipped from Scott’s mouth, Tony felt his legs go to jelly beneath him. If there was one thing that scared Tony more than anything, it was the prospect of time travel, of _messing_ things up more than Thanos already had.  
  
“Now, we know what it sounds like…” Scott scoffed. They were outside on the porch, Tony was pouring them all out a drink of his and Morgan’s homemade smoothie that they had concocted in the early hours of the morning. It was surprisingly nice, but he couldn’t remember what was in it.  
  
“Tony, after everything you've seen..” Steve started. Cap, like always, had come prepared with numerous questions that Tony wasn’t in the right mindset to be answering. He could see why they hadn’t called ahead, “Is anything really imposs _ible_ \--?”   
  
“Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale-” Tony interrupted, cutting Steve off his tangent before he had the chance to finish, “Which then triggers the Deutsch proposition. Can we agree on that?” They all looked confused at Tony’s technical jargon and he knew that they had no idea what he was going on about, which is why they came to him in the first place.

Tony handed a drink to Steve, “Thank you.”  
  
Tony turned to look at Scott, “In Layman's terms, it means you're not coming _home_.”  
  
“I did,” Scott argued.  
  
“No, you accidentally survived.” Tony pointed out as he finished pouring Scott’s drink, “It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off....” He walked over, holding out the glass, “What do you call it?”  
  
Scott’s face scrunched up as he thought long and hard about his plan, he shrugged, “A time heist?” He struggled to look humble because Tony could tell he was proud of that.  
  
“Yeah, a time heist.” Tony chuckled falsely, “Of course, why didn't we think of this before?” The worst part was that was a lie, he had thought about it many times, and nothing scared him more than the potential outcomes, “Oh because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?”  
  
“The stones are in the past.” Steve said, pointing out the blatantly obvious, “We can go back and get them.”  
  
“We can snap our own fingers.” Natasha cut in, “We can bring everyone back.”  
  
Tony swallowed the guilt in his throat, “Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?”   
  
He wondered if his denial to offer them guidance or advice made him look like a terrible father, who hadn’t jumped at the chance to save his son. That was the thing though, he loved Peter, perhaps too much, which is why for the time being, he had to turn them down. They didn’t have a plan, not even a safety net to fall back on. It was a whim that could cost more they would ever understand. They could mess up time itself. Break apart the fabric of reality by changing the natural flow of the universe. _What if Morgan died or disappeared in the process?_ Then he’d be stuck, in a world without both of his children. Unfortunately, the bad outweighed the good. Tony couldn’t risk what he had left, and he knew, what Peter would be saying. _Don’t risk it._  
  
“I don't believe we would,” Steve told him, straight-forward and honest. Steve’s problem was when he was given a way out, instead of sitting down to iron out the details, he jumped in headfirst. If he kept doing that, one day he would drown.  
  
“Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism.” Tony complimented, “However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me,” He sat down on the porch chair, “To safely execute said time heist.” He gestured over to Scott, “I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise.”  
  
“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel.” Scott perked up, he moved forward and sat opposite Tony, “That means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-”  
  
Tony held up his hand, knowing exactly where Scott’s trail of thought was going, “I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott.” He warned he leaned closer to look Scott dead in the eye, “Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on _Back To The Future_?”  
  
Scott sucked in a nervous laugh, and shook his head, “No.”  
  
“Good. You had me worried there. Cause that'd be horse shit.” Tony cautioned, “That's not how quantum physics works.”  
  
“Tony…” Natasha’s voice was small, _gentle_. The tone she usually reserved for Morgan _or Peter._ Out of all of them there, she sounded most sincere. Unlike Steve and Scott, she wasn’t running on the rush of finding a way out of this, she was walking slowly beside, looking for a way to see those she loved again. The ones she had been fighting for since they were taken away, “We have to take a stand.” She nervously fumbled with the frayed cuffs of Peter’s old sweatshirt, as she stared at him.  
  
“We did stand.” Tony sighed, “And yet, here we are.” Natasha looked away, blinking away tears.  
  
“I know you got a lot on the line.” Scott said, now more focused and disciplined, as he finally realised that Tony wasn’t planning to help them, “You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me.” Tony wanted to shout, scream and everything in-between, but Scott probably didn’t know about Peter. Not everyone kept up to date with Tony's life. so once in a blue moon, he ran into people who had no idea he’d adopted Peter. Either Scott was one of those people, or in his grief, he’d simply forgotten about Peter, “A lot of people did.”   
  
“Scott--” Natasha said, a slight quiver in her voice.  
  
“And now-- now we have a chance to bring her back!” Scott shouted, but his rally came to an end when Natasha slapped him around the shoulder, “What _the_ \--” He yelped, turning to look up at her.  
  
“I lost my son, Scott.” Tony cut in, Scott snapped his head back around, his face paling in an instant. “Peter.” He leaned forward, “Trust me, I’d do anything to bring him back, but this isn’t _anything_. This is...suicide.” The backdoor clicked open, and Morgan stepped out, “I’m sorry, I can’t…”  
  
Morgan charged over, holding her arms out as she bounced over. Tony stretched forward to guide her up onto his lap. Like with Peter, whenever Tony was holding Morgan, it felt like his world was no longer falling apart, “Mummy told me to come and save you.” She proclaimed as she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
“Good job. I'm saved.” Tony praised, “I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else.” He stood up, heading for the door, “Honestly, I'm happy to see you guys, it was..” He looked over to Natasha, “Oh, and the table's set for six.”  
  
“Tony, I get it.” Steve grabbed his arm, “And I'm happy for you, I really am.” He looked to Morgan, and then back to Tony, “But this is a second chance.”  
  
“I got my second chance right here, Cap.” Tony explained, “I can't roll the dice on it.” _Not again_. He turned away, in fear that if he listened any longer, he would cave and follow them on their endeavour, “If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch.”.  
  
“We’ve gotta go.” Steve shrugged.  
  
“Okay, well…” Tony pulled the handle, “See you around, I guess.”   
  
“Bye-bye!” Morgan chanted.  
  
“Tony!” Natasha shouted, bolting in before the door had the chance to close.   
  
Tony placed Morgan down on the ground, and bopped her nose, “Hey, Morgoona, why don’t you go and have some ' _Spectacular Spidey Strawberry_ ' ice cream?” He suggested, “I’ll be there in a minute.”  
  
“Okay, Daddy!” She twirled on her foot, and charged to where Pepper was sitting on the couch, “Mummy, can I have some Spidey ice cream please!?” 

Tony turned to face Natasha, “I can’t, Nat.”  
  
“Look…” She moved forward, grabbing hold of his wrist, “You know I love Morgan. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I just, this could work, we could bring them all back, Peter…”  
  
“This could work.” Tony agreed, “Time travel, I tried before.” He said, in a hushed voice. Natasha dipped her chin to her chest, “It’s...dangerous. If it worked, that’d be great, _yes_. But, time will fight back. We could break more than we fix.” He sniffled, “Peter, you knew him and you love him like we do, but he wouldn’t want me to put _her_ on the line, I can’t…”  
  
“Okay.” Natasha nodded, "I understand.”   
  
Tony leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss against her forehead, “Just don’t do let them do anything stupid.”  
  
Natasha’s mouth twitched into a slight smile, “I’ll try. See you soon.”

* * *

 " _If I could spare his life_  
_If I could trade his life for mine_  
_He'd be standing here right now_  
_And you would smile, and that would be enough_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'It's Quiet Uptown' was a massive inspiration for the latter half of this fanfiction, it really helped me tap into Tony and Pepper's mindset, not only Peter's parents but Morgan's too. So yeah, shout out to Hamilton for being bloody amazing!


	125. Take Me Back To The Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title Inspired by The Scientist by Coldplay

Tony tried his best to suppress the team’s proposal but the longer he spent forcing all his ideas to the back of his head, the louder and more persistent they became. He knew that he would do anything to get Peter back, but he had a lot to take into consideration. If he charged at this, with no patience or plan, then he was risking everything he had left. He kept hearing Peter’s voice telling him to let him go and that it was okay because the negatives outweigh the positives. Peter had been over-protective, and worryingly self-sacrificing. If he could see the conflict going on Tony's head, he’d probably be furious. Peter would hate to know that he was one of the reasons Tony was considering to put the universe on the line, and in doing so, risk everything.  
  
Tony’s thoughts turned to Morgan and how for her entire life, he had been paranoid about her safety, of course, that all stemmed from their loss of Peter. He was cautious and terrified that the same thing would happen again. He’d lose Morgan. He even checked on her around a hundred times a night just to make sure she was still breathing. _What if this backfired, and lost both of them in the process?_  
  
It wasn’t until late that night, when Morgan came bouncing down the stairs dressed in her new Spider-Man pyjamas that Pepper found while they were out shopping, that Tony realised this wasn’t just about his and Pepper’s loss, it was about Morgan’s _too_. He could keep her safe, but he feared as she got older, she’d have more questions about her big brother and why she had to live a life without him in it. Theoretically, she could, one day, found out that her father had the chance to save Peter and turned it down in fear. Even though she’d probably understand the choices he made, he had a nagging doubt that she would develop a guilt complex similar to her brother’s. That she would think she was the reason they couldn’t bring Peter back.   
  
Tony wanted to Peter and Morgan to live in a world where they had each other. It would be a beautiful one, he’d seen in plenty of times in his dreams. This choice was impossible because there were too many variables and concerns. It wasn’t an _easy_ decision _._ Tony could win if they were lucky or it could go wrong and he’d be left picking up the pieces of failure. Or, worse, the guilt of having done nothing.  
  
He decided to preoccupy himself with the washing up, hoping that the meaningless activity would be a distraction to help neglect his indecision, for a short while. Morgan was up in bed, Pepper had carried her shortly after she’d fallen asleep at the end of _Return of The Jedi_. She was definitely her brother's sister. Pepper was sprawled across the couch, her head in a book, like most nights.  
  
Tony’s hand slipped, and he dropped the sink sprayer, he tried to catch it, but instead, water splattered all over his jumper sleeve, the recently cleaned surfaces and shelves directly above him. He let out a long exasperated sight before dumping it back into the sink, turning off the water and grabbing a cloth. He glanced behind, making sure Pepper didn’t notice. He turned back, silently celebrating that she hadn’t. He wiped the cloth across the surface, and then up onto the lower shelf, making sure he dried all the evidence before his wife had the chance to gratuitously tease him.   
  
A heavy weight pushed against his chest when he noticed a picture frame tucked away behind four glasses. It wasn’t strange to see; pictures of Peter were scattered everywhere, almost in every room. This one, Tony saw almost every day but with everything going on, it helped answer his current dilemma. He leaned over, cautiously picking it up. He brushed away the spots of water with the cloth and titled it back to get a better view.   
  
It was one of his favourites. It was taken a few weeks after the _Battle of New York,_ like promised, they’d visited Disneyland Paris. The picture was of him and Peter, outside one of the many gift shops; Peter was holding up his plush Mickey Mouse toy, upside down, by its legs but that mistake had gone unnoticed. Tony was down on one knee, with an arm wrapped around Peter’s back, and the other used to point at the toy.  
  
It had been one of the greatest days of their lives and Thanos had tainted it making it yet another painful memory of what once was. _That couldn’t keep happening_. Peter deserved better, and potentially, Tony had the power to do just that. 

* * *

“I’ve had some mild inspiration.” Tony told Friday, as he opened up on one of his previously rendered models, “I wanna see if it checks out. So, I recommend one last sim before we pack it in for the night.” He brushed crumbs off his hands as he circled the table, “This time, in the shape of a Mobius strip, inverted, please.”  
  
“ _Processing…_ ”   
  
Tony narrowed his eyes, and held up his hand, manipulating the model to get a better look from all angels, “Give me that eigenvalue. That, particle factoring in spectral decomp. That will take a second.”  
  
“ _Just a moment._ ”  
  
Tony down a mouthful of water as he studied his work,  “And don't worry if it doesn't pan out. I'm just kinda -”  
  
“ _Model rendered_..” Tony waited for yet another disappointment, for Friday to tell him that his ideas weren’t working, and although that would hurt, he’d always remember that he tried. However, that didn't happen. Instead, it flashed green, because the model _worked_. He’d done it.  
  
Tony collapsed back into his seat in utter shock. He figured it out, they had a chance of getting the stones. _He’s coming home_ , he thought, it ricocheted in his head as he stared at the model in complete awe. You see, there is an unspoken agony when you unexpectedly lose someone. It’s surprising how difficult and _fucked_ up something so simple can be - past and present tense. _Screw,_ the English Language and all it’s stupid rules that come back to haunt you when you’re at your lowest. Everyone would constantly mess up, saying Peter ‘ _is_ ’ instead of ‘ _was'._ Even something as simple as _‘Peter loves Star Wars’_ when it was meant to be ‘ _Peter loved Star Wars_.’ In the beginning, it was hard, _painful_ even. Tony couldn’t count the times they cried over the slightest slip-up. It stopped affecting them as much when Morgan started to talk, not because it didn’t hurt, it was a little more complicated than that. They started to drop all attempts to stick to the past tense because Morgan was too young to understand, she knew her brother was gone because he was one of the vanished, but they didn’t want to constantly burst her bubble by correcting her use of the present tense. That wasn’t the only reason, the main reason they spoke about Peter in the present tense was because, subconsciously, they all knew that one day he would come home.  
  
Tony held both arms out to his sides, “Shit!”   
  
“Shit?” Morgan’s joyful and curious voice chorused. Tony turned, she sat at the bottom of the stairs, in her brand new _Spider-Man_ pyjamas, smiling from ear-to-ear. He wondered how long she’d been there, she was quiet on her tiptoes and found it easy to hide. He turned his attention to the fact that she had just sworn and he’d been the one to teach her.  
  
Tony pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head, “What are you doing up, little miss?”   
  
“Shit,” Morgan repeated wearing a mischievous smile. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew it was a bad word, but she had a _get out of jail_ free card because Tony had been the one to say it first. He’d improved though, considering Peter first said it when he was two and a half,  after Tony stumped his toe; the problem with toddlers is that they don’t understand why you can’t say bad words at playgroup.   
  
“No, we don't say that.” He told her, “Only Mommy says that word. She coined it, it belongs to her.”  
  
“Why you up?” _Oh_ , if only she could know that in a couple of days, she could be playing games with her big brother.  
  
Tony gestured back to the holograms, “'Cause I got some important _shit_ going on here. What do you think?” Morgan tilted her head to her shoulder as her forehead creased, Tony could smell the silent judgement. _God_ , she’d never looked more like Pepper, “No, I got something on my mind. I got something on my mind.”  
  
“Was it Juice Pops?” She asked. Tony couldn’t tell if it was his parenting skills or if both his children had just adapted to using their cuteness as a weapon to get what they wanted, probably the latter.  
  
“Sure was.” He pointed at her as he got up out of his chair, “That's extortion. That’s a word. What kind you want?” He skipped over and held out his hand, “Great minds think alike.” She grabbed hold and jumped up, they turned into the kitchen, “Juice Pops, exactly was on…” He looked at the model for a literal time machine, “...My mind.”

* * *

Eating juice pops in with Morgan in her room was a famous pastime, one that Pepper could never know about, even though she already knew. Morgan was in bed, chopping away; Tony was knelt on the floor, waiting for her to finish. She held it out towards him, it had about one bite left.                                                                                                                     
“You done?” He took it off her, she nodded in response; he quickly ate the last bit, “Now, you are.” He pulled his sleeves over his hands, “Here, wipe.” He used the corners to wipe away the juice from her cheek, “Good.” He placed his hand over her face, and pushed her back, “That face, goes there.” He pulled it away once she was laid down.   
  
“Tell me a Petey story.”   
  
Tony smiled as he tucked in her duvet, “A Petey story?” He hummed, “Okay. _Ah_ , I’ve got one. Your brother always went to bed when he was told to. The end.”  
  
“That's a horrible story.” She judged, “And a lie!”  
  
“Okay, sorry.” Tony chuckled, “Here’s one. Once, I found him hanging upside down, reading a book in his bedroom. It was almost three in the morning.”  
  
Morgan snorted a giggle, “He’s really funny.”  
  
“Very.”   
  
Morgan threw out her arms up, “I love him to the moon and back!” Tony blinked quickly to stop himself from crying. He hadn’t said that in years because it had always been his and Peter’s thing. _To the moon and back_. Morgan was unique, and over the years, they’d found their personal and enduring ways to say I love you, but she’d never heard that, _well_ , at least not from Tony. She spent a lot of her time in Peter’s room, playing with games and looking through his stuff. Perhaps she’d seen it written it down somewhere, or she’d noticed it on Tony’s mug that Peter had made him in fifth grade.  
  
“The moon and back?” Tony beamed, “That’s so far.”  
  
Morgan pointed towards her window, “That's where he is.”  
  
Tony’s forehead creased, “Oh, is it now?”  
  
“We had a picnic on the moon in my dream.”  
  
He raised his eyebrows, and nodded, “Well, your brother was always unique.”  
  
“What's he doing on the moon?”   
  
“Well…” He trailed off thinking for the best way to word this to a five-year-old, who just wanted to know everything she could about Peter, “Um when we lost him, he knew that he had to look out for you. So, he’s up there stopping you from ever having bad dreams.”  
  
Morgan smiled, “That’s nice.”  
  
“Yeah, it is.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead, “I love you tons.”   
  
“I love you three-thousand!” Morgan proclaimed, stretching out her arms as she grinned.  
  
“Wow.” He placed the juice pop stick in his mouth as he headed to the door, “Three-thousand. That's crazy.” He walked onto the landing, and slowly closed the door, “Go to bed. Or I'll sell all your toys!” He called back, “Night, night.”  
  
Tony bounced back downstairs with a skip in his step, he skidded to a halt by the couch, hovering over Pepper who was distracted by a book.  
  
“Not that it's a competition…” He started, catching her attention, “But she loves me three-thousand.”   
  
Pepper raised her eyebrows, “Does she now?”  
  
“You were somewhere on the low six to nine hundred range,” Tony commented, Pepper laughed before turning her attention back to her book.  
  
Tony looked back over at the model for the time machine, “What are you reading?” He asked, absent-mindedly, as he stared forward.  
  
“Oh, it's just a book on composting.”   
  
Tony gritted his teeth, trying to think of the best way to address this, “What's new with composting?”  
  
“Interesting science--” She started, at the same time, Tony cut in with, “I figured it out.”  
  
Pepper looked up at him, with a creased forehead, “--By the way.” He finished as he took Morgan’s juice pop stick out of his mouth.  
  
“You know…” Pepper leaned her chin on her hand, “Just so we're talking about the same thing-”  
  
“Time travel.”   
  
“What?” She closed her book and leaned forward, “Wow. That's amazing, and…” She hesitated, “Terrifying.”  
  
“That's right.” Tony moved closer to the edge of the couch.  
  
Pepper looked up at him, with misty-eyes, and a knowing small smile, “It was Peter, wasn’t it?”  
  
“Of course.” Tony planted himself next to her, she grabbed his arm, “He’s everywhere.” She nodded, “Look, I won’t sugar coat it, Pep. This is...unprecedented and well…”  
  
“You’re gonna do it.” She finished, and Tony couldn’t tell if her tone meant she knew he could never let this go, or if he was giving him an order. It was either one or both. At the end of the day, they both lost their son.   
  
“Yeah.” Tony nodded, “But...I keep hearing Peter telling me to let him go,  so… I can put a pin in it right now, and stop.”   
  
“Tony, trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my life.” Pepper chuckled.  
  
Tony tapped her arm, and looked over to the hologram, “I sometimes feel I should put it in a locked box and drop it at the bottom of a lake... _go to bed_.”  
  
“But would you be able to rest?” She asked, and with that question, Tony’s stomach lurched forward. He clutched tighter onto her hand as he studied her pained smile. Pepper had a coping mechanism for mourning Peter. She was, and always had been a people pleaser. She cared more about how those around her were feeling, she did it to distract herself from what she was going through. It was unhealthy, _corrosive,_ but like Tony, it was hard for her to break free of her strict routine. Tony had seen her during her lowest moments, the moments where Peter’s absence was too much for her to handle alone, and she simply crumbled. The times he’d find her sat on Peter’s bedroom floor, clutching onto one of his hoodies, sobbing. Tony watched her constantly put out her own fires and he longed for the days he could help calm the blaze.  
  
When it came to Peter, both Pepper and Tony put on a brave face, for Morgan. They didn’t want their daughter to fear mentioning her brother or to daydream about playing games with him.  It was already unjustified and cruel that she had to grow up without him. It would be immoral to let her live without getting the answers to all her questions.  
  
The way Pepper formed that question, would _you_ be able to rest? It’d been five years, and still, she put others before herself. The question should have been, would _we_ be able to rest? Because they both lost Peter and wanted him home, safe, by their sides. Tony didn’t have the willpower or strength to lecture her on that, not with their current topic of conversation. It was painful to see, but it reminded him how ridiculously unselfish she truly was.   
  
“The team are in over their heads.” She continued, “This is the safest in your hands.” Tears filled the corners of her eyes, and chuckled, “Tony, could….” She shook her head as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, “Could we be eating dinner next week with both our kids?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony sighed, breathlessly, “Yeah, we could be.”

* * *

Tony hated goodbyes. They were too _final_. If he said goodbye he risked tricking his anxieties into not going, and he knew that he had too. Morgan was half-asleep when he kissed her messy hair, and muttered a soft ‘ _see you soon_ ’ before heading out, with the plans to a time machine tucked away in the boot. He kissed Pepper and promised to call her with regular updates before he jumped into his car and headed towards the Avengers Headquarters. He hoped he made it before the team collectively messed up and permanently turned Scott into a baby. Tony trusted Natasha but he also understood that she was desperate and was likely to make mistakes, like letting Bruce Banner try his hand at time travel, which wasn’t one of his specialities.  
  
As Tony headed up the driveway, he noticed Steve stood outside looking down-hearted. _Oh, Scott turned into a baby._ Tony couldn’t believe he missed that. Even after all these years, Tony still had a flair for the dramatic. He sped up the car, and purposefully drove past where Steve was waiting for him.   
  
He waited a few moments before reversing, he slowly rolled down his window, keeping a straight-face the entire time. Steve tilted his head back and raised his eyebrows, “Why the long face?” Tony asked, “Let me guess: He turned into a baby.”  
  
“Among other things, yeah” Steve answered, “What are you doing here?”  
  
“That's the EPR paradox,” Tony said, ignoring his question because he’d didn’t often get to show off his skills and it was fun with Steve because he still had no grasp of modern technology. He opened the door, “Instead of pushing Lang through time..” He jumped out, “You might've wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky. _Dangerous_. Somebody shoulda cautioned you against it.” He turned away, waiting for the response he was hoping for.  
  
“You did.”   
  
Tony clicked his tongue as he turned back, attempting to suppress his ‘ _I told you so_ ’ face, “Oh, did I? Well, thank God, I'm here. Regardless, I fixed it.” He held up his hand, showing off his new toy, “A fully functioning Time-Space GPS. I just want peace.” He said, holding up his two fingers, he stepped away closing the door, “Turns out, resentment is corrosive, and I hate it.” Tony, over time, had come to forgive Steve for his actions. Peter was another story, when he got back, Steve was going to have to work hard to build back up a walk of trust with his nephew because following Siberia, Peter struggled to say Steve’s name without venom laced in his tone. It’s easier to forgive someone for hurting you, then it is to forgive someone for hurting someone you love.  
  
“Me too.”  
  
Tony let out a heavy nasal exhale, “We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities: Bring back what we lost? I _hope,_ yes.” He clapped his hands together, “Keep what I found? I have to, at all costs. I think Pete would kill me if I put Morgan in harm's way for this; I can hear him now.”  
  
Steve nodded, “Yeah.”  
  
“Also, you know?” He stepped closer, “Maybe not die trying would be nice.”  
  
Steve held out his hand, “Sounds like a deal.” Tony grabbed hold and shook, he nodded before heading back to the boot. Steve followed behind unsurely, as Tony clicked the button. He stopped when he noticed one of Peter’s spear masks tucked into the side behind one of Morgan’s toys, he reached forward, tugging on it, he couldn’t tell if this was a warning or a push in the right direction, “Tony?”   
  
“I’m good.” He said, hiding the quiver in his voice, “Ah, there is it.” He picked up Cap’s shield, he flipped it over, knocking out Morgan’s plush dog and pink blanket.   
  
“I don’t know,” Steve said as he studied it.  
  
“Why?” Tony questioned, “He made it for you.” He tossed it mid-air, “Plus, honestly I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding.” He held it out, and Steve grabbed hold, admiring it after seven years without it by his side.  
  
“Thank you, Tony.”

“Will you keep that a little quiet?” He asked, “Didn't bring one for the whole team.” He grabbed the case from the boot before closing it, “We are getting the whole team, yeah?”  
  
“We're working on that right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a gifset up for grabs for whoever notices the painful reference/foreshadowing I put in this chapter (it was purely accidental when I started out though, to be fair!)
> 
> Anyways, see you all next Tuesday!
> 
> "So, he’s up there stopping you from ever having bad dreams" - was inspired by the Doctor Who episode, The Snowmen.


	126. Bring Him Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed that chapter sizes are growing in length! This one is the longest yet! Endgame has a very complex story-structure that I had to manipulate to fit my writing style which resulted in longer chapters, which to be honest, I prefer. 
> 
> Some parts of the movie are slow and drawn out, and then other parts it's just short scene after short scene, so putting that down into words is more difficult than I thought it would be but it has all worked out in the end. This chapter covers quite a lot of the film (no spoilers here, you'll see when you read) but because it's from Tony's point of view, of course, it's going to seem pretty fast! Anyway, I'm rambling, enjoy!
> 
> Chapter title inspired by 'Bring Him Home' from Les Misérables (I have a thing for musicals if you couldn't tell by the title of this fanfiction!)

Tony was surprised by how well the team worked together considering it had been a good eight years since they’d done it last. They fit together like pieces of a jigsaw. _Granted_ , it would be an old, frayed and slightly dusty jigsaw, with half of the pieces missing, but they still managed to find a way to fit together. It took a few days to prepare; Tony committed his time to building the structure for the quantum tunnel and working on their suits, with help from Nebula, Rhodey and Rocket. Natasha and Steve left on the first night, and returned the next morning with Clint; Bruce and Rocket had done the same by persuading Thor to come back.

The whole band was reunited, _so to speak_.

Even though they worked well as a team, they’d all changed, no one was the same person they used to be.

In his grief, Clint had taken it upon himself to kill those who _deserved_ it. Those he believed should have died when Thanos snapped his fingers. Tony knew that the people Clint targeted were terrible and awful, but it was difficult to look him in the eye, knowing that he had decided to become jury, judge and executioner in the wake of his loss. Tony wondered where the line was, the one Clint had or would one day cross, when a good man decides to kill those who have wronged the world, _when does he stop being a good man?_

Tony didn’t blame Clint for who he’d become but it didn’t stop dread from pushing on his chest whenever they were in the same room together.

It made sense that when Scott bailed on being the guinea pig for the first test run of the tunnel, Clint seized the opportunity, for he had nothing left to lose.

Tony stood to the side, watching as Bruce and Rocket briefed Clint. Tony decided not to get involved as tensions between him and Clint since the accords still hung in the balance, he didn’t want to start any unnecessary drama, he’d outgrown that.

Natasha stopped by his side, she was nervously bouncing back and forth on her feet, she reached over and grabbed Tony’s hand.

“He’ll be okay.” He reassured her.

“I know.”

She flinched and make a small high-pitched squeal when Clint started to walk up the ramp, she tightened her grip on Tony’s head, “Um…” He yelped, she was holding on with an unforgivable grasp, “Um, hand…”

“Alright, Clint.” Bruce called as he pushed up the controls, “We're going in 3... 2... 1!”

In a flash of light, Clint was gone, but Tony couldn’t concentrate on that, only on the fact that Natasha, was seconds away from breaking his hand, “Nat, please!”

Natasha let go and winced sympathetically, “Sorry.”

“Holy mother of god.” Tony quipped, “What the--” He was cut off by the sound of the tunnel, followed by Clint’s scream as he returned, down on his knees, gasping for air, “Shit.”

Natasha bolted, Tony and Scott followed behind, charging up the ramp as fast as they could.

“Hey, hey.” Natasha lay her hand on Clint’s shoulder, “Look at me.” She helped him up onto his feet, “You okay?”

Clint held out a baseball glove, and tapped it against her shoulder, “Yeah, it worked.” He turned to look at Tony, “It worked.” He tossed over the glove and Tony caught it, as Natasha stared at him, hope glistening in her eyes.

“Come on then.” Tony turned on his heel, “The game is afoot.”

* * *

They had a short briefing about the locations of the stones throughout time, throughout their _own_ history. Tony thought that when that was all said and done, he spent the rest of the day helping with the plan, but he didn’t, not straight away.

The first thing he did was cook breakfast, not for everyone, just for Thor.

Throughout the brief, Tony’s heart yearned for Thor, it wasn’t out of pity, it was _guilt_. Tony had been concealed in his own cocoon of grief after losing Peter, that he hadn’t noticed how the others copied; Thor lost his brother and the majority of his people while desperately trying his best to protect them. Something Tony knew all about. Thor might be a god, but underneath it all, he feels and suffers in the exact same way as the rest of them. Tony had tried to reach out, many times over the five years because he knew from his experience that when someone locks themselves away, they’re not _okay._ They’d had a few brief conversations, and Thor had only met Morgan twice. Tony wished he’d done more to help.

Thor sat at the breakfast bar, staring at the wall. Tony walked over, and placed a plate of scrambled egg down in front of him “Here.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Tony sat down, “Come on, I made this for you.” Thor didn’t react, “Thor...” Tony spoke softly, the voice he used whenever his children were scared or hurt, “I’m not leaving until you eat and I have a four-year-old kid, remember?” Thor turned to look at him, “So, I can play the waiting game with you, if you like.”

Thor sank back in his chair, as he pushed the plate away.

“Also…” Tony sighed, “...This is Pete’s favourite breakfast…” Thor perked up at the mention of nephew, Tony leaned in, “And strictly between us, aside from Natasha...you are his favourite.” Tony hating using Peter as a tactic, it felt wrong, on so many levels but when it came down to it; Peter loved Thor, and so did Tony, if this was the only way to get him to eat, then so be it.

“Okay…” Thor picked up his fork and started to eat, he stared down at the table, he muttered a small, “Thank you.”

Tony placed a hand on his shoulder, “No problem.” He jumped up, knowing his work was done, and he could move onto helping the team track the stones.

“You should make some more…” Thor said, Tony turned back to face him, “For...young Peter, I believe he will be home soon.”

Tony’s mouth twitched in a smile, and he nodded, “It’s at the top of the list.”

* * *

Tony found himself in one of the breakrooms; Natasha was scrawled across the table, looking up at a notepad while tapping it periodically with her pen as if the movement would spark new ideas. Bruce was on the floor, he looked as if he’d fallen asleep.

Tony laid down on the table, he weighed a pillow in-between his legs, and propped his head on top of another one, “So then, what have we got?”

“So, far?” Natasha hummed, “Um, Thor and Rocket are gonna grab the Aether from Asgard. Rhodey and Nebula are teaming up to get the power stone from Morag, and the soul stone is on... _Vormir_.”

“Vormir?” Tony had heard that word before, it was where Thanos killed his daughter, in cold blood, “That a planet?”

“Nebula called it the dominion of death, at the very center of Celestial existence.”

Tony raised his eyebrows, “Well, she’s always been dramatic. Who's going there?”

“I am, with Clint.”

“Got it.” Tony leaned his head back, “Is Bruce asleep?”

“No.” Bruce answered, “I’m thinking.”

“Don’t try too hard…” Tony teased, “We don't want you hurting yourself.”

“Oi.”

“That Time Stone guy…” Natasha interrupted.

“Doctor Strange.”

“Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?”

“Neurostuff…” Tony blurted, “Meets rabbit from a hat.”

“Nice place in the village, though,” Bruce said.

“Yeah.” Tony agreed, “Sullivan Street.”

“Hmm... Bleecker.”

“Wait…” Natasha cut in, “He lived in New York?

“Yeah, on Bleecker and Sullivan--” Bruce teased simultaneously with Tony saying, “No, no, he lived in Toronto, were you even listening?”

“Guys, if you pick the right year…” Natasha said, ignoring their chuckling, “There are three stones in New York.”

Tony felt his heart leap up into his throat, this definitely made things easier.

Bruce bolted up, shock etched across his face, “Shut the front door.”

Tony sat up, and Natasha followed, “You…” He pointed at her, “...Are a genius!”

* * *

Tony was suited up, waiting for Steve’s _curtain call_. The preparation had almost gone too quick and now, he feared the anticipation, hoping that there would be no bumps in the road. Praying that this went smoothly so that in less than twelve hours, he could be holding Peter in his arms again.

He jolted out of his daydream when a hand brushed against his shoulder, “Sorry.” Natasha said, “I should know better than to sneak up on you.”

“It’s fine.”

“Ready?”

“No…” He laughed humorlessly, “I’m shitting myself, you?”

“Same.” A smile crawled onto her face, “This is gonna work, you know?” The sense of certainty in her tone was almost enough for Tony to forget his worries, “Peter...he’ll be back home by tonight.”

“Yeah?” Tony asked, she nodded, “I look forward to it.”

Natasha dipped her chin to her chest as she smiled, “Me too.”

“Peter and Morgan…” Tony chuckled, “That’s gonna be one hectic household.”

“It will be amazing.”

“I know.” He moved forward, pulling her into a hug, “Good luck, Ms. _Rushman_.”

Natasha sighed out a snicker, and he knew for a fact that she rolled her eyes; she rubbed circles against his back as she held on tight, “Good luck, Mr. Stark.”

* * *

The team gathered on the ramp, dressed in their quantum suits, ready to fight for what they had lost. Steve waited until he had their attention, and Bruce was setting up the controls, before starting one of his classic Cap speeches that Tony had missed, “Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends…” He dotted his eyes between Tony and Clint, “We lost _family_. We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back.”

Tony hid his smile by biting his lower lip, he really had missed Steve’s giddy optimism.

“One round trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs.” Steve pointed out, “Most of us are going somewhere we know. But it doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we're gonna win.” Tony raised his eyebrows as he turned to him, Steve looked him in the eye, “Whatever it takes.” Tony offered him his warmest grin, “Good luck.”

“He's pretty good at that.” Rocket complemented.

“Right?” Scott agreed, like the fanboy he was.

“All right.” Tony called over to Bruce, “You heard the man. Stroke those keys, jolly green.”

“Tractors engaged.”

Clint opened his palm to reveal the Benatar, Rocket’s ship, they’d shrunk it down using Scott’s tech, “You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?” Rocket asked.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Clint stuttered unsurely, “Okay. I'll do my best.”

“As promises go, that was pretty lame.”

“See you in a _minute_.” Natasha smiled.

They activated their masks, and waited, in a burst of light, they were thrown into the quantum realm; Tony didn’t have long to marvel at how beautiful it was, because within a handful of seconds, he stood on a deserted roadside amid the _Battle of New York_.

They all deactivated their suits and jumped straight back into the action. Steve headed forward, eyeballing the empty street ahead, “All right, we all have our assignments.” He started, “Two stones uptown, one stone, down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock.”

They all jerked at a sudden noise echoing from the street, the Hulk came hurdling in, brutally killing a member of the Chitauri, with a car.

Steve turned to Bruce, “Feel free to smash if things along the way.”

Bruce sighed, ashamed, “I think it's gratuitous, but whatever.” He tore his shirt off, and moved onto the street, beating his chest as he went. He was out of practice when it came to being the Hulk, that was evident.

* * *

“Got to hustle, Cap,” Tony called, he hovering outside the Stark Tower. He could see the team and _Peter_ , surrounding the unconscious form of Loki inside the tower, “Things look like they're just about wrapped up here.”

“ _Got it. I'm approaching the elevator now_.”

Tony flew in through a broken window and hid behind a wall as he deactivated his nanotech suit; he swallowed the lump in his throat as peered through the gaps, trying to get the best view.

The floor beneath his feet softened, he stumbled forward, placing a hand on the wall; his chest tightened and his stomach twisted, as he laid eyes on Peter; his kid was hiding behind Tony’s _past-self’s_ leg as the team cornered Loki. Tony wasn’t an idiot, he knew that Peter was going to be here but he hadn’t expected to shut down at first glance.

This Peter was only _ten_ , and he was so unbelievably small. _God_ , Tony had forgotten how small he’d once been, the times where he could still carry him in his arms, or on his shoulders, with ease.

It was daunting, because the last time Tony saw Peter, he _died_ and seeing him now, this young, he was stunned by how in only four years from today, the Peter in front of him would become Spider-Man, and then two years after that, he’d be gone. It was a future Tony had already lived but looking at his son, here in this moment, it seemed improbable.

“Tony.” Scott called, anchoring him back, “You gotta focus.”

“Um, yeah sorry.” Tony blurted, he kept a hand firmly pressed against the wall as he turned his mind to the task at hand. It pained him to realise but that Peter wasn’t his Peter anymore. _Of course,_ he was Peter, but not the same one Tony lost on Titan. This was their past, who they used to be before everything turned dark. Tony couldn’t get caught up wanting to protect this Peter, because back in the future, his Peter was lost, and needed saving. That’s why he was here in the first place.

“By the way, feel free to clean up.” Tony’s counterpart joked as kept a gentle hand pressed against Peter’s shoulder.

Tony blinked to clear his misty-eyes, he turned away to distract himself from focussing on Peter. He let out a shaky breath as he looked over to Steve, “Uh, Mr. Rogers.” He tried to sound confident in his mockery but it was very clear that he was only doing it to cover how was feeling, “I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass.”

“ _No one asked you to look, Tony_.”

Tony tutted, “It's ridiculous.”

“I think you look great, Cap.” Scott defended; he was in the Ant-Man suit and had shrunk down to perch on Tony’s shoulder, so it was easy to miss him, “As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass.”

“Who gets the magic wand?” Natasha’s counterpart asked, walking forward holding Loki's scepter. 

“Strike team's coming to secure it.”

The elevator door behind Tony beeped, he scurried away light on his feet as he hid opposite the bar, a group of agents stepped into the room, Tony felt a shiver up his spine, knowing that they were Hydra, not SHIELD.

“Who are these guys?” Scott asked.

“They are SHIELD…” Tony narrowed his eyes, “Well, actually Hydra. But, we didn't know that yet.”

“Seriously, you didn't?” Scott mocked, “I mean...they look like bad guys.”

“Your small but you’re talking loud.” Tony looked up to see Thor drag Loki toward the elevator.

Tony’s counterpart locked hands with Peter and took him over to where Natasha and Clint were stood by the bar, they spoke for a while, Peter bounced towards Natasha, wearing a radiant smile as grabbed Natasha’s hand. Past Tony turned away, he secured the Tesseract in a coded box and headed over the open elevator doors.

“All right, you're up, little buddy.” Tony whispered to Scott, “There's our stone.”

“Alright.” Scott crouched down, “Flick me.” Tony sent Scott flying across the room with a tap to the back.

Tony waited until Scott landed before turning back, and jumping out the window; he scanned the building, “All right, Cap. I got our scepter in the elevator just passing the 80th floor.”

“ _On it. Head to the lobby_.”

“Alright. I'll see you there.”

* * *

Tony knew he needed a disguise because he would be standing in the entrance lobby of the Stark Tower surrounded by agents and the team. He had quite a recognizable face and he could potentially start World War Three if someone noticed two Tony Starks in one room. He had to steal an outfit from an agent but when it came to it, he made sure the man he knocked out and proceeded to shove into a closet, was a member of Hydra. So, it was worth it.

He turned aside as his counterpart walked past, with Thor, Loki, and a handful of agents, “Thumbelina, do you copy? I've got eyes on the prize. It's go-time.”

“Bombs away,” Scott replied.

Tony stifled a laugh as he came to the realisation that Scott was only a few years younger than him; he was also incredibly intelligent, but in the centre of a high state situation, he acted and spoke the same way Peter did as Spider-Man.

“Is…is that Axe body spray?” Scott sounded rightly disgusted, Tony couldn't blame him.

“Yeah, I had a can on the desk for emergencies. Relax.” He said through gritted teeth, “Can we focus, please?”

“I'm going inside you.” There was a better to explain that, but the double entendre went over Scott’s head, “Now.”

Tony watched as his past-self collided with the infamous Alexander Pierce, one of the many heads of Hydra, it didn’t take long for that conversation to turn sour.

“All right, move it, Stuart Little. Things are getting dicey up here.” Tony warned, “Let's go.”

“You promise me you won't die?”

“You're only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia.” Tony knew that Scott was essentially about to kickstart a heart attack but that pain would be worth it in the long run.

“That doesn't sound mild,” Scott said, genuinely concerned.

Tony watched as his counterpart was savagely manhandled by a group of agents in their attempt to steal back the Tesseract. Hydra might have kept themselves hidden for over fifty years but it didn’t stop them from being stupid, Tony couldn’t believe they thought they take an infinity stone away from the _God of Thunder_.

“Do it, Lang!” Tony barked, “Windows closing. Pull my pin!”

“Here goes!”

Past Tony gasped for air before collapsing down onto his knees; the agents dispersed as they started to panic. Thor, being the gentle giant he’d always had been, bent down beside him, trying to diagnose the problem.

Pierce turned, and screeched, “Medic!”

“Medic!” Tony chorused back, half-heartedly, “These guys need some help!”

Tony waited until the box was sent hurdling in his direction, he bent down and grabbed it, he turned on his heel, away from the commotion, trying to act as nonchalant as possible as he headed towards the exit, “Good job. Meet me in the alley. I'm gonna grab a quick slice--” Before Scott had the chance to answer, the Hulk smashed through the door, throwing Tony across the room; he didn’t have the chance to catch himself, and he landed headfirst on the lament floor. His grip around the case fell away, and it slid out of his reach.

He was winded and unable to reach out for it, as he tried to force air back into his shocked lungs.

“No stairs!” The Hulk screamed as he wreaked havoc on the lobby.

Tony leaned his head back and pressed one hand against his chest as he slowed his breathing.

He came around when Thor was frantically calling out Loki’s name, he tore his mask off as reality dawned on him. He’d messed up, well, _fucked_ up is a more accurate description.

The team had forgotten about the risk and threat of the Hulk, they hadn’t considered his past aggression, now that Bruce had reached a level of tranquillity. That neglect cost them the Tesseract, it was in the hands of an unhinged god.

Without the tesseract, Peter couldn’t come home. Tony tried to think, to look for a way to make this work, but it was hard with a concussion.

“That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?” Scott asked a sense of sarcasm in his tone.

“Oh, we blew it.” Tony sighed as he sat up, “Shit.” He placed a hand on the back of his head, he could hear people from afar asking if he was alright, he jumped to his feet and shuffled over to the, now, broken door. He hurried away until he could no longer hear the crowds of people or the echoing roars of the Hulk.

He jumped out of his skin and he bumped his back against the wall, _hard_ , when Scott returned to his regular size.

“Jesus! You have to warn people before you do that.”

Scott pushed his mask down, and turned, “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” Tony deflated, leaning his head against the wall.

Scott didn't get the chance to bombard him with questions because a small and recognizable voice, came from down the corridor, “Dad?”

Tony subconsciously wrapped a strong arm around his front, worried that he was about to either throw up or collapse under the weight of everything. Scott paled and stared at Tony with wide-eyes, neither of them ready to turn their attention to Peter.

Tony blinked away tears before turning to look; Peter was down by the doors that led to the second lobby, he was dawdling back and forth on his feet. Up close, Tony could see the sickening extent of Peter’s injuries, he knew every single one of them healed without so much as a scar, but they hurt to see; his nose was broken; his face and arms were covered in multiple scratches and lacerations; his clothes were torn all over, even his _Star Wars_ shirt - Tony had bought him a copy shortly after, an heirloom that Morgan now wore.

Peter must have been stood there a while, as neither Scott nor Tony had heard him come through the doors behind him. He was light on his feet and found it easy to hide, a trait Morgan had adopted. Despite his injuries, he was smiling, ear-to-ear, with his all too familiar grin.

“Hey, bud.” Tony managed to cough out hesitantly, “Shouldn’t you be with your Auntie Nat?”

Peter narrowed his eyes and tilted his ear to his shoulder, “Shouldn’t you be in the _future_?”

Scott yelped and slapped a hand over his mouth as Tony paced over to where Peter was, “What did you just say?”

“That’s where you’re from!” Peter squeaked, “Right? You got grey hair!”

“I do not have---” Tony knelt down in front of him as Peter giggled uncontrollably, he caught Peter’s wrists and held them gently, “I’m not from the future, kid.”

“Yeah, you are.” Peter quipped, “Cause I saw you upstairs.”

Tony inhaled a sharp laugh,  “Would you believe me if I said I was a life-model decoy?”

"Nope.” Peter snorted.

“You’re too clever, kid,” Tony remarked, he combed his fingers through Peter’s unruly curls. He looked down at his hands, that were wrapped around Peter’s arms, this was the first time they'd interacted since Peter _died_ , “I have no idea where you get it from.” It didn’t feel real, and Tony couldn’t protect this Peter or take him home.

Tony had realised it before, and to be fair, so had everyone else, but up close, it was uncanny, how similar Peter and Morgan were. They had shared the same quirks and mannerisms, although they were not biologically related, they were _family_ , and it showed.

Tony’s lower lip started to tremble as he studied him; he couldn’t break now, because this Peter had no idea what the future held and he didn’t need to know.

“Who are you?” Peter asked, curious, as he looked up to Scott.

Tony turned to see Scott close by, tears swimming in his eyes, “This is Scott.” Tony answered, “He’s a friend.”

“So…” Peter trailed off, “Why you here?”

“Well, I lost something and I came to...” Tony admitted as he brushed Peter’s hair behind his ear, “...Find it.”

“Did you?”

Tony nodded as tears filled his eyes, “Sort of.”

“Cool!” Peter jumped, bursting at the seams excitement. _Of course_ , he was. Tony would be worried if he wasn’t, he was a ten-year-old who’d discovered that time travel existed. It was pretty awesome from his perspective, from Tony's it was horrible having to conceal the darkness that the future held, “What year you from?”

“2023.”

“Awesome.” Peter swung back using Tony’s arms as a jungle gym, “I’m...twenty...or twenty-one...”

Tony let out a slight whimper, but Peter was preoccupied with swaying side-to-side to notice, Tony quickly faked a smile as Peter looked at him, “Um-hm.”

“Peter!” Natasha’s fear-stricken voice echoed from close by.

Tony moved his hand to nudge Peter’s shoulder, “Sounds like Nat is looking for you.”

“Yeah!” Peter tugged on his hand, “You should say _hi_ to her!”

“Actually, bud.” Tony's stomach turned at the thought of introducing himself to Natasha. Peter was a kid, innocently time travel was the first thing he thought of. Natasha, on the other hand, was a trained assassin and considering Loki, a shapeshifting god had escaped their custody, her first thought definitely wouldn’t be time travel, “I need you to keep this a secret. You think you can do that?”

Tony thought Peter might be upset or disappointed but instead, he nodded enthusiastically, more than happy to keep the secret, “Okay!”

“Thank you.” Tony leaned forward and pressed a kiss in Peter’s curls. Treasuring this moment in the short time he had left, something he hadn’t been able to do on Titan.

“Peter!” Natasha’s scream got closer.

“You should probably get going.” Tony smiled as he tapped Peter’s arm.

Peter smiled as he backed away towards the door, he gave a small awkward wave to Scott, “Bye.”

“Bye.” Scott’s throat cracked, and Tony knew that this couldn’t be easy for him either; Scott missed out on five of the most important years of his daughter’s life, and he would never get that back.

“Good luck!” Peter shouted as the door _automatically_ opened for him.

“Thanks, kiddo....” Tony smiled, “...I love you.”

“To the moon and back.” Peter dashed through the door, “Auntie Nat!”

“Peter, thank god!” Natasha stepped into view just as the door came to a close.

Tony looked around misty-eyes, a knowing smirk grew on his face, because Peter wasn’t the only ghost he needed to speak to, “Thank you, Jarvis.”

“ _It’s always a pleasure watching you work, sir_.”

Scott pressed a comforting hand against Tony’s shoulder, “You all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

Did they mess up? _Yes_. Was Tony going to fix it? _Obviously,_ because he had a kid to bring back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony reunited with Peter and Jarvis, hope you enjoyed that. 
> 
> In this chapter, I wanted to write about what Natasha means to Tony. Of course, we all know what's coming next for her - this is the perfect segway to say, if you're planning to read the alternative happy ending, as it currently stands in the drafting process, you have two chapters of this fanfiction (excluding this chapter) left to read!
> 
> There is something about Thursday's chapter that I can't wait for you all to see.....but what, you may be asking? You'll just have to stick around and see :)


	127. Found Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major Character Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who are planning to read the alternative happy ending, this chapter is angsty but I promise you, you will be getting a happy ending, so you'll have to wait and see how I....undo this angst.....
> 
> To those who are sticking with this canon, angsty ending, you totally...signed up for this.......
> 
> And finally to those who are planning to read both, kudos! You're getting all the angst and all the fluff! :)

“Scott, can you stop _pacing_?”   
  
They were hiding in an empty alleyway, it was far from where civilians were being evacuated; Tony had concealed himself in the passenger seat of an abandoned trashed car, but he left the door open so he could swing his legs out. Scott was pacing back and forth outside, muttering expletives under his breath and on occasion, kicking a piece of rumble across the ground.  
  
Tony brought two fingers to the brim of his nose, and bowed his chin down to this chest, “You’re distracting me.”  
  
Scott skidded to a halt, “From what?”  
  
“I’m trying…” Tony let out an exasperated sigh, as he looked up, “..To work this out.”  
  
Scott’s face burnt red, “You said that we had one _shot_.” He held out his arm, “This, this was our shot. We shot it. It's shot.” He blurted, on the edge of a breakdown; in all fairness, it had barely been a week for Scott since this whole thing started, it was enough to drive anyone crazy, “Six stones or nothing. Six stones or _nothing_!”  
  
Tony jumped out of the car, “You’re repeating yourself.” He pointed out as he walked over to him, “You know that?”   
  
Scott fell back onto his heel, defeat etched across his face, “Tony, there’s nothing we can do.” He somehow spoke gently, even though he was talking through gritted teeth, “I know you just...We can’t go back...We’re out of Pym particles.”  
  
If Tony was in a cartoon, a light bulb would have flashed over his head, “Pym particles....” He clicked his fingers and poked Scott in the chest, “Pym…” He flinched at a loud thud from ahead, he looked to see Steve, holding onto Loki’s scepter, “Hey, Cap….”  
  
“What’s going on?” Steve asked as he strode forward.  
  
“We didn’t get it,” Scott told him; **upfront** , no sugar coating.  
  
Steve grimaced, “What happened?”  
  
“I got hit in the head with the Hulk and well…” Tony trailed off, “Loki…”  
  
“Well, what are we gonna do now?”  
  
“I have an idea.” Tony closed the distance between him and Steve, until they were almost toe-to-toe, “There's…. another way. To retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles.” He nudged Steve’s chest playfully, “We'll stroll down memory lane. Military installation, Garden State.”  
  
Steve’s eyes widened when he realised what Tony was saying, “When were they both there?”  
  
“They were there at a…” He stuttered, “...I've got a vaguely exact idea.”  
  
“How vague?”  
  
Scott started to bombard them with questions but Tony simply tuned him out, “I know for a fact they were there...And I know how I know.”  
  
“Guys, what's up?” Scott asked, louder to gain their attention, “What is it?”  
  
“Well, it looks like we're improvising,” Steve answered.  
  
“Great,” Tony muttered, as Steve marched to Scott.  
  
“Scott, get this back to the compound,” Steve ordered, holding out Loki’s scepter, Scott cautiously took hold of it.  
  
“Suit up.” Tony held out his wrist, and started tapping in the new coordinates, “0-4…”

“0-4.” Steve chorused.   
  
Tony closed his eyes, trying to drown at Scott, “Uhh, 0-7.”  
  
“0-7.”  
  
Tony cleared his throat, “1-9-7-0.”  
  
Steve stared at him, “Are you sure?”  
  
 _Yes_ , Tony thought, _this is my last chance to save Peter._  
  
“Cap. Captain.” Scott called, they both turned to him, “Steve, sorry, _America_.” There was no doubt in Tony’s mind that Scott and Peter would get along like a house on fire, united by their social awkwardness, “Rogers. Look, if you do this, and this doesn't work, you're not coming back.”  
  
Tony inhaled sharply, “Thanks for the pep talk, pissant.” He looked up at Steve, “You trust me?”  
  
“I do.”  
  
“Your call?”  
  
“Here we go.” They activated their suit and clicked down, travelling back through the quantum realm, all the way to the _1970s_.  
  
It was a basic military base, nothing Tony hadn’t seen before. He’d visited this particular one a few times when he was young, whenever his Uncle Edwin Jarvis chauffeured Howard around. Sometimes, Tony had visited his Aunt Peggy here too. Back then, he had no idea that SHIELD existed; he thought it was part of Howard’s work with Stark Industries.  
  
Tony and Steve split to find clothes to use to blend in; they had to knock two unexpecting fellas out, and then lock them in an empty hanger before regrouping.  
  
“Clearly, you weren't actually born here, right?” Tony teased as the walked past the tenth sign that read ‘ _The Birthplace of Captain America_.’  
  
“The idea of me was.”  
  
Tony rolled his eyes, “Right. Well, imagine you're SHIELD, running a quasi-fascistic intelligence organization. Where do you hide it?”  
  
Steve stopped and nodded his head forward towards a bunker, “In plain sight.” Tony looked over to see two men peering over their shoulders as they quickly sneaked through the door. He tapped the side of his glasses and scanned for an entrance. Steve was _right._

* * *

After an awkward ride in the elevator with an agent, Tony separated from Steve, as he followed the signal for the Tesseract. To his luck, the card from the guy he’d knocked out, worked on the door and to his relief, the room was empty. He hurried down the aisle, scanning each containment unit as he mumbled intangible sentences under his breath.  
  
He almost did a jump for joy when he located it, _almost_. He grabbed a briefcase, he opened it before placing it down. He activated his gauntlet and used it to slice open the locks. 

The Tesseract sat securely inside, welcoming him with its bright hue, “Gotcha.” He pulled it out, as a smile crawled over his face, “We’re back in the game, Pete.” He skipped away after sealing up the volt, he placed the Tesseract down into the briefcase and secured the locks.  
  
“Dr. Zola?” A familiar _British_ accent echoed into the room, “Are you down here? Oh hello there, sir.”  
  
Tony swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked up, with wide-eyes. It was Jarvis. _Obviously_ , not his beloved artificial intelligence. The real-life Jarvis, Edwin Jarvis; his _godfather_ , his _uncle_ , and for the many years before Rhodey, his only confidant. Blood rushed through his ears, and his heart thumped in his chest, as he tried his best to suppress everything; he wanted to say so much, but had to hold it back; Jarvis had no idea who he was. Jarvis died of old age, a few years after Tony lost his parents; Tony hadn’t made it to the home on the day, because back then, he used to drink until he blacked out, so he missed the call, “Hey.”  
  
“You haven’t seen a Dr. Zola anywhere, have you?”   
  
“No.” Tony walked over, he bumped into a chair, but kept going, “Dr. Zola, no, I haven’t seen a soul.”  
  
“I didn’t expect to find him.” Jarvis informed him, “Well, thank you anyway.”   
  
“No problem.”  
  
Jarvis kept up his warm smile, even as his forehead creased, “If you don’t mind me saying sir, you seem lost.” He pointed to the door, “I'm happy to be of assistance.”  
  
“Yeah, that’d be great…” Tony sighed, “Thank you.”  
  
“I’m sorry, I never forget a face. Have I seen you around here before?”  
  
“No, sir.” Tony took off his badge, “I'm, a visitor from MIT.”  
  
“Oh, well it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jarvis extended his hand, “I’m Edwin Jarvis.”  
  
Tony shook it, it took everything in his power not to knock him off his feet in a bone-crushing hug. Jarvis, Peggy, and Maria had been the only ones through Tony’s childhood, who’d loved him as fiercely as he loved them. He didn’t see much of his mother, with work and benefits, but he knew she loved him more than anything. He was essentially raised by Jarvis, with help from Peggy, whenever she wasn’t tied up with her children and job. When Tony adopted Peter, he feared becoming like Howard, a dead-beat father, who never learnt how to love. Over the years, he realised, every tactic he used, every soft lullaby he muttered, came from Jarvis, _not Howard_.  
  
“I’m…” _It’s just a name, Tony...you know loads of names._ “Howard.” _How original, "Howard Potts.”_  
  
Jarvis raised his eyebrows, “What a coincidence.”  
  
“Yes.” Tony chuckled, “You work for Howard Stark, right?”  
  
“So, you’ve heard of me?”  
  
“Your reputation precedes you.”  
  
Jarvis snickered, “I hope you’ve heard good things.”  
  
“Strictly good things.”  
  
“Well, that is nice to hear.” Jarvis turned towards the door, “Where are you heading?”  
  
“Out.”   
  
“Right this way then, sir.”

* * *

In the elevator, Tony noticed that Jarvis was holding a tin of sauerkraut and a bunch of flowers. He hadn’t noticed before, because he’d been flustered by getting the chance to speak to Jarvis again, “So, flowers and sauerkraut. You got a big date tonight?”  
  
“Ah..” Jarvis held them up, “These aren’t for me.” He explained, “Mrs. Stark is expecting. Boss forgot these in his office, so I picked them up on the way.”  
  
Tony bit down on his lip to conceal a yelp, “...Stark is going to be a father?”  
  
“Yes, none of us could quite believe it either. Doesn’t seem like the father type.” He pressed the back of his hand, holding the sauerkraut, to his chest, “His words, not mine.”  
  
“I guess.” Tony shrugged, “Do you have any children?” He wanted to _punch_ himself for asking that, he knew that Jarvis never had children, but in his defence, Tony was out of his comfort zone.

"I have a few honorable nephews and nieces but none of my own.” Jarvis answered, “My wife and I, we’re happy with just the two of us.” He grinned, “Actually, Mr. Stark has already asked me to be the godfather to his little one, so I think I’ll have the work cut out for me on that front. How about you?   
  
“I have a little girl _and_ …” Peter wasn’t back yet, Tony knew that. He didn’t want to pretend he was, because if all this went wrong, then he'd be crushed by his false hope. The thing was, even with Peter gone, Tony still had two kids, he didn’t stop being Peter’s dad just because he disappeared.  
  
“Sir?”  
  
“I had a son.” Tony admitted, “We lost him suddenly a few years ago.”  
  
“My sincerest apologies.” Jarvis said softly, “That couldn’t have been easy.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s been...difficult.” Tony had forgotten how Jarvis used to be his voice of reason, the one he turned to when his life hit rock bottom, and it felt good, to talk to him again, “His sister reminds me of him, all the time. And we try to talk about him when we can. She’s a little young to understand what happened, she thinks he lives on the moon stopping her from having bad dreams.”  
  
“That is a beautiful sentiment.” Jarvis smiled, “I bet you still see him in her smile.”  
  
“All the time.”  
  
When they got outside, Tony knew their time was short, and he had so much he needed to say, but couldn’t find the right way to say it. Jarvis didn’t know him yet, so it made this hard.  
  
“Here we are then.” Jarvis stopped, “It’s been a pleasure, Master Potts.” He held out his hand, “Perhaps, one day we’ll run into each other again.” Tony stifled a laugh at all his early memories of Jarvis chasing after him around the house when he refused to get ready.  
  
“ _Maybe_ , yeah.” Tony didn’t care how awkward it was, he ignored Jarvis’ hand and pulled him into a hug, because it was the last chance he had, “Um, Good luck with your….” He tapped his back as he stepped back, keeping his eyes on the ground as his face burnt red, “...Godchild.”  
  
“....Thank you.” Jarvis said, somewhat confused.  
  
“See you around.” Tony beelined for where Steve was stood, waiting.   
  
They had the Tesseract, and they were going home. All Tony could think about was holding his son again, and if it wasn’t for Jarvis, he would have never had the strength to adopt Peter. He wouldn't be where he was with Pepper, Morgan would only be a dream. He owed Jarvis the world, and seeing him again, gave him the hope that everything was going to be _okay_.

* * *

Tony landed back on the quantum tunnel, holding the briefcase close to his side. He dotted his eyes around the team, though his vision was slightly hazy because time travel gave him chronic travel sickness.  
  
“Did we get them all?” Bruce asked as they all deactivated their quantum suits   
  
Rhodey chuckled in disbelief as he held up the power stone, “You telling me this'll actually worked?”  
  
Tony halted his celebration when he heard a heavy thud come from his right, it silenced the room. His stomach lurched forward, and he swallowed the bile threatening to rise up in his throat.   
  
Clint, was down on his knees, trembling. Natasha, Peter and Morgan’s _Auntie Nat_ , wasn’t there. She wasn’t by Clint’s side, like she should be. Tony wasn’t _dumb_ , he knew exactly what this meant but _God_ , she couldn’t be... _Not her, anyone but her_. Not when they were this close to bringing everyone back. Not when she came so close to seeing Peter again.  
  
“Clint, where’s Nat?” Bruce asked, hope entangled in his tone, he was either truly hopeful or heart-wrenchingly ignorant.   
  
Clint’s silence was an answer in itself.   
  
Tony hugged the case close to his chest, knowing that, they had the stones, and they were going to do it but then, as soon as he got Peter back, he’d have to tell him that they lost his Auntie Nat. No _kid_ , especially not Tony’s kid, should go through hell, only to be dragged back into it. Natasha _died_ for this, so they couldn’t give up, but the result wouldn’t be the same victory without her.  
  
“...What happened?” Steve asked, hesitantly, as his lower lip trembled.  
  
“Um, she, um…” Clint stuttered, “To get the stone...she…”  
  
Tony couldn’t hear anymore, he darted to the other side of the ramp, rushing away, ignoring Rhodey’s calls after him. He placed the case down into the lab and hurried down the corridor towards Natasha’s room. He opened it with a shaking hand and stepped inside.  
  
He let out a final strained gasp, before the air was knocked clean from his lungs, and reality collapsed on his shoulders, she was never coming _back_. He choked on a sob as he stumbled inside, wanting nothing more than to see her again, tell her everything she meant to _him_. He paced over to her bed, hanging at the end, was Peter’s Midtown sweatshirt, that she wore religiously, he picked it up, and held it against his chest,  “I’m sorry.” 

* * *

Tony met the team down by the docks. It was the original team, _minus one_ ; Bruce, Thor, Clint and Thor were dotted around, processing what they’d lost.   
  
Tony placed a hesitant hand on Steve’s shoulder, Steve tapped his hand as he blinked away tears, “I should…” Tony’s throat cracked when he realised what he’d forgotten to do, “Uh, I...need to phone Pepper.”  
  
Steve nodded, patting his hand reassuringly, “Yes, of course.”  
  
“What?” Thor barked, as he got up close to Tony.  
  
“Pepper and Morgan loved Nat…” Tony said calmly, “So they-”  
  
“You're acting like she's dead.” Thor snapped, “Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, _right_? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right?” He was looking for backup that he would never receive because that wasn’t how the stones worked, but after all, he’d lost, he couldn’t bear to lose anyone else, “So, stop this _shit_. We're the Avengers, get it together.”  
  
“We can't get her back.” Clint breathed as he turned around.  
  
“Wha-” Thor blurted, “What?”  
  
“It can't be undone.” Clint told him, “It can't.”  
  
“I'm sorry.” Thor scoffed, “No offence, but you're a very earthly being. Okay?” He held out his hands, “We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definitive don't you think?”  
  
“Look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here.” Clint strained hoarsely, “But she still isn't here, is she?”  
  
“Now that's my point…”  
  
“It can't... be undone.” Clint cried, his let out a shaky breath as his sadness faded away into anger, “Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him? Okay. Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him!” He bellowed Clint’s face fell, “It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her _life_ on it.”  
  
Bruce screamed as he grabbed a bench and throw it across the lake, “She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to.”  
  
Steve stood up, “We will.”

* * *

It didn’t take long for Tony, Bruce and Rocket to get Tony’s nanotech to accept the power of the infinity stones. Tony had half-expected it to blow up in their faces but was surprised that his tech was powerful enough to harness the power of all six stones. When Rocket purposefully decided to scare them when the gauntlet was complete, Tony almost knocked him into next week, but that could wait for later.   
  
They stood in the main lab, all suited up, ready for anything; Tony and Rocket were making the final checks, to make sure that whoever was tasked with putting the glove on, it would be _worth_ it.  
  
“All right. The glove's ready.” Rocket announced, “Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?”  
  
“I'll do it.” Thor said, confidently, as he strode over, “It’s okay.” Tony turned on his heel, ready to stop him; Thor was strong, there was no arguing that, but he wasn’t in the mindset to survive something like this; Tony refused to lose someone else.  
  
With Steve, Scott and Clint’s help, they were able to hold Thor back. “Thor, just wait.” Steve told him, “We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet.”  
  
“Oh, I'm sorry.” Thor mocked, “What, were you just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?”  
  
“We should at least discuss it.” Scott pointed out.  
  
“Look, us sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back.” Thor told them, “I'm the strongest Avenger, okay?”  He held out his hands, “So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my _duty_.”  
  
“It's not that…” Tony stood in his pathway, stopping him from getting through and doing something _stupid_.  
  
“It's…” Thor cried out desperately, “Stop it!” He reached forward, pulling on Tony’s shirt, “Just let me. Just let me do it. Just let me do something _good_. Something right.”   
  
“Look…” Tony grabbed his arms, “It's not just the fact that that glove is channelling enough energy to light up a continent… I'm telling you you're in no condition.”  
  
“What do...what do... you think is coursing through my veins right now?” Thor asked.  
  
“Cheez Whiz?” Rhodey joked, Tony sighed, making a mental note to talk to Rhodey about his bedside manner.  
  
Thor grabbed Tony’s shoulder, “Lightning.”  
  
“Yeah.” Thor patted Thor’s chest, “Lighting.”   
  
“Lightning won't help you, pal.” Bruce interrupted, “It's gotta be me. You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him.” He explained as he walked over to the glove, “None of you could survive.”  
  
“How do we know you will?” Steve queried.  
  
“We don't.” Bruce admitted, “But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...uh...I was made for this.” He reached forward and grabbed the gauntlet.

“Okay everyone, get ready,” Steve ordered. They all spread across the room, away from the blast zone.  
  
“Good to go, yeah?” Tony asked as he circled Bruce, who was studying the gauntlet, intently.   
  
“Let's do it.”  
  
“You remember... everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, _today_.” Tony told him, making sure that in saving Peter, he wasn’t condemning Morgan, “Don't change anything from the last five years.”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
Tony stepped in front of Clint, as he had no protective armour of his own. He activated his nanotech and held up a shield as his mask snapped shut, “Friday, do me a favor and activate Iron Door protocol, would you?”  
  
 _“Yes, boss.”_  
  
“Everybody comes home.” Bruce waited until all the Iron doors had closed, before guiding the nanotech over his arm. As soon as the gauntlet was locked around his hand, the room was engulfed in the light from the stones, it challenged through Bruce’s arm, he fell to his knees as he screamed out, in agony.  
  
“Take it off.” Thor shouted, “Take it off!”  
  
“No, wait.” Steve said as he held out his arm, “Bruce, are you okay?”  
  
Tony stepped closer, “Talk to me, Banner.”  
  
“I'm okay.” Bruce said in a troubled breath, “I'm okay.” He held up his charred arm, and cried as he brought his fingers together, and snapped. Bruce fell down on his back, the gauntlet slipped off and slid across the floor.  
  
“Bruce!” Steve yelled; Clint kicked the gauntlet, out of harm's way.  
  
“Don't move him,” Tony ordered, as Steve and Thor knelt by his side. Tony sprayed anti-septic on Bruce’s arm; Bruce grabbed Steve’s wrist for comfort, while Thor placed his hand on Bruce’s forehead  
  
“Did it work?” Bruce asked.  
  
“We’re not sure.” Thor eased, “It’s--okay, it’s over, you’re okay.” Friday opened the Iron doors, the natural light poured in, Scott made the first move, walking towards the windows.  
  
Tony looked up when he heard a phone vibrating against the desk, Clint stared at it, with raised eyebrows and his jaw dropped. That was his phone, and Clint wasn’t in contact with anyone on the outside world, besides his _family,_ which meant…..it _worked._ Bruce and Natasha; they _did_ it.  
  
Clint hesitantly walked over, Tony could tell by the look of utter disbelief and shock written over his face, it had to be Laura - she was alive, and so was everyone else; Clint took the phone, and held it to his ear, “Honey?.... _Honey_ …”  
  
“Guys…” Scott gasped, “I think it worked!”  
  
A shadow loomed overhead, and Tony knew that this was far from over. Before he had the chance to look up, he was thrown into a nearby wall by the sudden explosion of light; darkness swallowed him before he hit the non-existent floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically...fuck Howard Stark rights. 
> 
> And, I won't lie, I was crying when it came to planning and writing Natasha's death, and how Tony takes it; Peter's reaction is.....well...
> 
> See you all next Tuesday!


	128. Run For Your Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ: 
> 
> To all those lovely people out there who are planning on only reading the alternative happy ending, this is the last chapter you need to read from this fanfiction. Tune into this Thursday's update, and there will be a link for you to follow to the alternative ending! Thank you for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy the fluff!
> 
> Chapter inspired by 'Dogs Days Are Over' by Florence and the Machine.

“Stark.” Thor, that was Thor. Tony grunted, overwhelmed by the ringing in his ears, “Stark, you with me?” Thor kicked his arm, Tony winced and muttered a few swears under his breath, “Tony?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony sighed as he leaned his head back against the rubble, “I’m good.” He blinked his eyes open to see Thor's extended hand, he grabbed it, and the demigod helped him to his feet, “Ah, what the _hell_?” Tony knew time would fight back, but he didn’t understand what this was, the explosion wasn’t caused by the gauntlet, so what was it?  
  
“This way.” Thor turned on his heel and navigated his way through the rubble. Wherever he was heading, he was on a _mission_.  
  
“Thor….” Tony chased after him, worry pounding in his chest, “Thor, _wait_. Where are we going?” Thor froze at an opening, Tony stopped by his side, and pressed a hand against his back, “What’s…” Thor swung out his arm, and Tony followed his gaze. He soon realised why he was speechless, “Holy shit.”   
  
_Thanos_. Thanos was here? He died. Thor killed him. _No_ , it wasn’t him, not the one they’d fought five years ago. He was from another _time_. He hadn’t met the Avengers before, let alone fight them. Tony guessed that meant they had an upper hand because they knew his moves but he didn’t know theirs, but that didn’t make him any less terrified.  
  
This Thanos might have not done it yet, but he was still the same Titan who tore Peter away from his family. Even when Tony had Peter back in his arms, the invisible scar caused by losing him would still be there because that _'_ s permanent.   
  
Tony stepped back, “Okay…um, you…” He pointed forward, “You watch him, I’m gonna...look for some of the others.” Thor nodded. Tony charged into the destruction, “Friday...you still with me?”  
  
“ _Always, sir._ ”  
  
“Is there anybody close to me?”   
  
“ _Yes, Captain Rogers is ten feet ahead. Plotting you a safe route now_.”   
  
“Thanks, dear.” Tony foot connected with something metal, “Oh.” He pulled out Steve’s shield from underneath the rubble, “Cap!” He shouted as he charged forward, “...Steve.”   
  
Steve was on his back, _unconscious_.   
  
Tony rushed forward, and lightly kicked his foot, “Come on, buddy.” He kicked again, harder, “Wake up!” Steve’s eyes snapped open as he gasped “That's my man.” Tony knelt beside him, presenting the shield, “You lose this again, I'm keeping it.”  
  
Steve looked around, with wide-eyes, “What happened?”  
  
“When you mess with time. It tends to mess back.” Tony held out his arm, and Steve grabbed hold of it, “You'll see.” He pulled him up on his feet, “Come on, we’ve got a job to finish.” He nudged his chest with his fist, before turning back the way he came,  “I left Thor watching Thanos.”   
  
“Wait ...Thanos?”  
  
It wasn’t the time for explanations or questions. Those came later, when this was over. Thanos hadn't come alone, and in their certain situation, they were _outnumbered_.   
  
Tony gave Steve a few seconds when they made it to Thor, to gather his bearings. None of them had signed up to go toe-to-toe with the Titan again, so it didn’t hurt to take a few moments to process what was about to happen. At least this time, they were together.  
  
“What's he been doing?” Tony asked, his eyes locked onto Thanos.  
  
“Absolutely nothing,”   
  
“Where are the stones?  
  
Tony gestured to the remanence of the Headquarters, “Somewhere under all this. All I know is he doesn't have them.”  
  
“So we keep it that way.”  
  
Thor narrowed his eyes, “You know it's a trap, right?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tony sighed, “But I don't much care.”  
  
Peter was out there across the cosmos. Alive, and probably _terrified_. Tony wasn’t sure if he’d remember what happened, or if he’d woken up thinking only a few seconds had passed, not _years._ Neither scenario was perfect, but Peter was back. Tony knew that, for certain.   
  
So, he’d fight Thanos, no matter how scared he was.   
  
“Good.” Thunder clapped in the distance, “Just as long we are all in agreement.” Thor held out his arms, channelling his powers; Thor had changed into his armour, and both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir flew into his open hands, “Let's kill him properly this time.”  
  
Thanos looked up as they strode over, a humourless smug smirk crawled on his face as he rubbed dirt between his fingers, “You could not live with your own failure.”  _Great,_ he’s got a monologue prepared. “And where did that bring you? Back to me.” Thanos held his head up high, and raised his voice, “I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you’ve shown me that’s impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist.”  
  
“Yep!” Tony agreed, “We're all kinds of stubborn.”  
  
Thanos didn’t fear anything, he’d looked death in the eye and didn’t even blink. Although he wasn’t indestructible, nobody is. Tony didn’t want to be feared, he didn’t want anyone to shudder at the mention of his name, beside Thanos. If this monster knew what he took, then Tony would want to see him run in the opposite direction.  
  
It’s a simple rule; never harm one of Tony Stark’s children. If you do, you’d have to face his rage, and no one could survive that. Not even Thanos.  
  
“I'm thankful.” This monster killed trillions, and spoke with such dignity, that it made Tony sick to the stomach, “Because now, I know what I must do.” He stood as he absentmindedly tossed a stone across the battlefield, “I will shred this universe down to its last atom.” He grabbed his helmet off his sword-like weapon, “And then...With the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, but knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given” He pulled the weapon loose from the soil, and turned to face them, “A grateful universe.”  
  
“Born out of blood.” Steve spat, with venom laced in his tone.  
  
“They'll never know it.”  Thanos sneered as he moved into position, “Because you won't be alive to tell them.”  
  
Thor let out a battle cry, and Tony used that as a starting gun; they rockered forward, all guns blazing, it was crap, but it was the only plan they had. They couldn’t simply _dance_ with this guy, they just had to keep him away from the stones.

* * *

“Okay, Thor.” Tony activated the shields on the back of his armour, and stood a few meters in front of Thanos, “Hit me.”  
  
Thor roared into the night as he called for the lightning, and challenged it directly into the Iron Man suit. Tony poured the energy out through his gauntlets, knocking Thanos back a few paces.   
  
Tony wasn’t sure what happened next. It was nothing but a dazed blur. He remembered being tossed around, but he didn’t recall being thrown across the battlefield. He retracted his helmet and leaned his head against the dirt, he let out a pained gasp and pressed a hand against his chest as he struggled for air.  
  
“ _Dad…” Peter_. That was Peter’s voice, calling out to him in the dark.   
  
Tony winced as he turned to his head to the side but Peter wasn’t there. _Of course_ , it wouldn’t be the first time he imagined Peter’s voice but even in his confusion, he knew that this time, it was real.  
  
“ _Hey, Dad, can you hear me?”_ Peter’s voice cracked through again. It was then that Tony realised, Peter’s voice was coming from their joint communication link. Peter sounded desperate but there was still that familiar ring of his lovable exuberance, “ _Mr. Strange, I don’t think it’s working!”_ Tony tried to speak but his words died out in his throat. “ _Sorry, yeah, I know, I meant Doctor Strange!”_    
  
Tony stifled a laugh and pushed him up using his elbows, “...Peter?”   
  
_“Shit.”_ Peter squeaked, “... _Dad_!”   
  
Tony bowed his chin to his chest as tears filled his eyes, “...Peter…” He cried out, “You’re…” _Back? Alive? A big brother?_ There were infinite things Tony needed to say but they didn’t have the time.  
  
“ _We’re on our way!”_ Peter exclaimed. A loud crash followed, deafening Tony, “ _Ow, ow.”_ Peter cursed faintly, " _U_ _h, I’m good! There...was a rock.”_ Tony’s mouth twitched into a smile, it was _definitely_ Peter.  
  
Tony’s eyes wandered around, one of Strange’s portals had opened; T’Challa was at the threshold, with Okoye and Princess Shuri. Sam flew through, circling the sky, as more portals opened, some close down to the ground, some high in the sky. Armies marched through, ready for battle.   
  
They weren’t _outnumbered_ anymore. Strange did it, that son of a _bitch_ actually did it.  
  
Speaking of the devil, Tony watched as a portal opened directly in front of him, and Strange floated down, hands held out. If Strange was here, Peter wouldn’t be far behind.  
  
Drax and Mantis rushed into view, in battle formation. Quill landed down in front, ready for _anything._    
  
Tony’s heart leapt into his throat as he saw a figure _swing_ towards the portal. Peter. It was actually him. Not a version from the past, _Tony’s Peter_. The one he lost, back home again.   
  
Peter span mid-air, for good measure, and landed down on all-fours. He stood up, retracting his mask as he scanned the battleground. Their eyes met, and Peter smiled. Tony’s heart fluttered in his chest. _Oh_ , the time spent and the sacrifices made for that smile.   
  
_You did it, Nat. He’s home._  
  
All the armies began to march forward as T’Challa chanted; Peter moved with the Guardians and Strange.  
  
A familiar whir came from overheard, Tony snapped his head up, Pepper descended on one knee, suited up in her Rescue armour. Tony would be naive to think she’d sit out of this one. The last thing they’d faced a battle like this, Peter _died_. She wouldn’t sit on the sidelines knowing she could help.  
  
“Mum!” Peter shouted.

Pepper melted, she turned to see, Peter held up a hand and waved. She did the same. Tony caught Pepper’s soft hello, but that was it because there was no time for a reunion or a well-earned hug.  
  
Peter flinched and turned towards the remanence of the Headquarters before anyone else. _Good old spidey senses._ The building caved in on itself as Scott jumped out, as Giant-Man. After everything Tony had seen, that was still weird. Scott held out his hand; Bruce, Rhodey and Rocket jumped out, ready for anything.  
  
Tony rushed forward, joining the _lineup_. He stood in-between Thor and Wanda as he activated his mask.  
  
“Avengers!” Steve rallied, he held out his hand, and Mjolnir flew back into it. Tony’s eyes widened, he must have missed that while he was unconscious, “...Assemble…”  
  
Thor let out a mighty scream, and they all charged forward, meeting Thanos’ army in the middle. Tony took to the skies, knocking down lines of the Chitauri, like _dominos_. He joined forces with Pepper, they positioned themselves, back-to-back, they took down four hovercrafts.   
  
Tony landed and knocked down the weaker forces of Thanos’ army, the ones who hadn’t been trained to get back up. Something or _someone_ nudged him in the back of his neck, he went barreling into a mountain of rubble. He turned, trying to use his weapons against the creature, but it had the upper hand.   
  
That was until, _webbing_ wrapped around its arm, and Peter effortlessly pulled it onto its back. As luck would have it, Scott squashed it with his foot as he walked past. Tony wondered if Peter and Scott had orchestrated that move among themselves.  
  
Peter bounced over, muttering an incoherent hello. Tony wasn’t _ready_. He didn't have anything prepared, he didn’t know what he was going to do or say. You can’t put five years of grief into words. Especially when for Peter, it had only been a couple of hours.  
  
Peter grabbed Tony’s arm and pulled him to his feet, Tony had forgotten how strong he was. He hadn’t even broken a sweat, “Holy cow! You will not _believe_ what's been going on.” Peter blurted as he kept a supportive hand pressed against Tony’s elbow, “Do you remember when we were in space? And I got all dusty?”  _Dusty_? Did his stupidly amazing kid, just describe _that_ as he got all dusty? Well, at least he didn’t remember the pain that followed, he cries for help as he crumbled away into nothing. That was a relief _._ “I must've passed out, 'cause I woke up, and you were gone. But Doctor Strange was there, right?” Peter exclaimed as he held his hand out to his side to emphasize his retelling.  
  
Tony knew this was nonsense rambling, but it was like a symphony to his ears. _No_ , it was even more beautiful than that. He was conflicted because he wanted him to stop because he needed to hold him, and know that he wasn’t going to fade away again. But at the same time, he never wanted Peter to stop talking. He would never, in his life, tell Peter to be quiet. From now on, he’d treasure every moment they shared like it was their last.  
  
“He was like, _It's been five years. Come on, they need us!"_ Peter held his arms out in Strange’s infamous stance. Tony saw a chance, and he took it, he moved forward as Peter stumbled over his story. “And then he started doing the yellow sparkly thing that he does all the time---”   
  
Tony pulled him into a hug, “What are you doing?” Peter asked, as Tony softly muttered, “Come here, kid.”  
  
Peter let out a tired sigh, as he secured his arms around Tony’s back, after all that rambling, he needed this detox. A few seconds of quiet before getting back to work. Those who dusted were at a disadvantage, they’d fought a battle, died, and came back, only to be thrown back into the jaws of hell. Tony didn’t envy them.  
  
Tony’s breath hitched as he held onto his son. _Held_. Peter could talk, breath, smile, cry, laugh, live. Everything he hadn’t been able an hour ago. And Tony was finally doing something he hadn’t been able to do in five long years. _Hold his son_.   
  
Tony clasped his arm around Peter’s back, and closed his eyes, “Huh ...this is nice.” Peter hiccuped, as he moved his arms up. Tony pressed a kiss against Peter’s cheek, before stepping back, “You look different. What’s that grey stuff in your hair?”  
  
Tony snorted and shook his head, “It’s just grey hair.”  
  
“Oh, that’s alright.” Peter squealed, “Happens to everyone.” He grabbed onto Tony’s arm as he leaned back, his smile disappeared, and the colour flushed before his cheeks as he whispered intangibly, “Um…” He let out a wet saddened laugh, “It’s actually been five years, hasn’t it? I thought Strange was pulling my leg.”  
  
Tony tilted his head to his shoulder, and nodded, “Yeah, bud.” His throat cracked, “It’s been five years.”  
  
“Oh.” Peter’s breath shook, “Wow. That must have sucked…” He blinked away tears as he rocked back onto his heels, “Sorry.”   
  
“Don’t be…”  
  
“Wait…” Peter jolted back, “Wait..wait, the _baby_...you--”  
  
Tony couldn’t hide his smile, he retracted the nanotech from around his hand, so that he could brush his hand through Peter’s unruly curls, “She’s amazing.”   
  
Peter choked back a sob, “She!” He grinned, “I knew it...What’s her name?”  
  
“Morgan.”  
  
“That’s…” Peter’s jaw dropped, “That’s insane...that’s awesome.”   
  
“You’re gonna love her.”  
  
“Already do.” Peter’s face fell, “I missed…”  
  
Tony nudged his chin up, “Don’t sweat it, kid. You’re here now.”  
  
“Yeah.” Peter smirked mischievously, “Did you miss me?”  
  
“A little.” Tony cringed, but he regretted the joke. He pulled Peter back into a hug; he didn’t even give a single shit about the battle going on around them, because they were protected. He’d already noticed that Rhodey and Bruce were watching their six.  
  
“It’s okay, Dad.” Peter’s voice broke, “I’m here. I’m _okay._ ”   
  
A thud echoed from behind Peter, Tony looked up, to see Pepper. He pulled out of the hug and gently turned Peter around to face her.  
  
“Mum…” Peter gasped; Tony pushed his shoulder to get him to move towards her.   
  
“Peter?” Pepper’s mask drew back, revealing her tear-stained face underneath. Her strong bravado finally crumbled, and she bolted forward, dragging him into her arms. She cradled his head in her palm as he tucked his face into the groove of her shoulder, she moved, kissing his cheek, before holding onto him as tight as she possibly could. Tony hadn’t seen her this joyous and scared since the day she first held Morgan in her arms.   
  
“I’m sorry.” Peter choked.  
  
“No, no.” Pepper cried; she cupped her hand over his cheek as she leaned back to look him in the eye, “Don’t be…”  
  
Peter gestured to the Rescue armour, “You look great.”  
  
Pepper chuckled as she admired the Iron Spider,  “So do you.”  
  
Tony moved over and sandwiched Peter between him and Pepper, “Ha.” Peter snorted, “ _Iron Fam_. Where’s Uncle Rhodey?” He flung his head back, “Oh! And Auntie Nat.” Tony placed his chin on Peter’s head as he gazed over to Pepper, who nodded; Peter would learn what happened to his aunt, and it would break him, no matter how long they put it off for, but now, wasn’t the right time, “We should team up.”  
  
“They’re around..." Tony said, putting up a facade.  
  
“So, what are we doing?” Peter asked, “I wasn’t really listening to Strange.”  
  
“We gotta keep the stones away..” Tony explained, “From Thanos….”  
  
Peter shrugged, “Sounds easy enough.”  
  
Tony nudged Peter’s shoulder, “No point in telling you to go home, is there?”  
  
“Nope.” Peter said quickly, “I won’t leave unless you two do.”  
  
Tony let out an exasperated sigh, “Guess we’re staying then.”   
  
“Obviously.” Peter slowly backed away from his parents’ grasp.  
  
“Hey, you be careful, okay?” Pepper ordered, “Both of you.”  
  
“Always.” Tony scoffed as Peter shouted back, “I will!  
  
Pepper took to the air, regrouping with Valkyrie.   
  
“I’d love to catch up, Dad.” Peter teased, he pointed up, “But my ride’s here!” He webbed the leg of Rhodey’s armour and threw himself into the air. 

* * *

Tony knew that this was meant to be the fight for their lives, but knocking down troops of the chitauri for ten minutes straight became very repetitive. Knowing Peter was out there didn’t make it any easier, it felt like the fight was happening in slow motion because he constantly wanted to check on him. None of the team moaned or scolded him for asking them for updates every five seconds, because they understood what he’d been through.  
  
“ _Cap!”_ Clint’s voice cracked through the comms, _“What do you want me to do with this damn thing?”_ That answered that, Clint had the gauntlet.  
  
_“Get those stones as far away as possible!”_  
  
_“No!”_ Bruce shouted, “ _We need to get them back where they came from.”_  
  
“No way to get them back.” Tony sighed, “Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel.”  
  
_“Hold on…”_ Scott interrupted, Tony watched in the distance as Giant-Man shrank down, “ _That wasn’t our only time machine.”_ The annoying honk from Scott’s stupid van echoed across the battleground, Tony rolled his eyes, but this was their last resort.   
  
_“Anyone see an ugly brown van out there?”_  
  
_“Yes…”_ Valkyrie perked up, “ _But you’re not gonna like where it’s parked.”_  
  
“Scott, how long you need to get that thing working?” Tony asked as he took to the skies, searching the ground for Doctor Strange.  
  
_“Maybe ten minutes.”_  
  
_“Get it started, we’ll get the stones to you.”_  
  
Tony landed opposite were Strange stood, “Hey. You said one out of  fourteen million, we win, yeah?” He needed to know, especially now that both his kids were out there, and he had to make sure he’d done right by them, “Tell me this is it.”  
  
“If I tell you what happens, it won't happen.” Tony forgot how annoyingly cryptic this guy was, it was a one-word answer, yes or no. _Well_ , in Tony’s eyes it was, but he guessed that Strange had seen a future where he did tell him, and it all went to shit. _So_ , with that thought, this must be the one they win.  
  
“You better be right.” This wasn’t about the fight or the stones, or the fate of the universe. It was Peter and Morgan.   
  
Tony had to _win_ , for their sakes.

* * *

Tony moved around the battle, helping out as many people as he could along the way. He learned that from Peter, to help out where he can. _When you can do the things that I can, but you don't...And then the bad things happen... they happen because of you._ Tony didn’t have to devote his time to the big things, with Thanos and his loyal children. He could help the heroes swarmed by the chitauri. By saving them, he created ripples in a tidal wave, bringing them one step closer to ending this.  
  
He landed down near Rhodey, and pulled back his helmet, “Hey Rhodey, cover me!”  
  
“I’ve got you, Tones!”  
  
Tony looked around, “Hey Friday, you with me?”   
  
“ _Yes, boss_.”   
  
“How we looking?”   
  
“ _We outnumber Thanos’ army, eight to one_.”   
  
“I like that.” Tony span and raced over to where Rhodey was, “Those odds sound good.” He flapped his hand around, “Hey…” Rhodey retracted his mask, “Who has the stones?”   
  
Rhodey bit down on his lip, “You don’t know?” Whatever he knew, wasn’t _good_ , because Rhodey was headstrong, he cut the crap out of everything he said, he never sugarcoated anything, unless he was dealing with Peter or Morgan. If he was scared to tell Tony who had the stones, there was only one person who could have them.  
  
“Rhodey…” Tony said through gritted teeth, he could feel the ground beneath his feet softening, “Who has the stones?”  
  
“Peter.”  
  
“Oh, for fu--” Tony threw his arms up, in a frenzy, “One day, my kids are actually gonna listen. We told him to be careful!”  
  
“Trust me, Tones, the word _careful_ is white noise to all of you.”  
  
“Oh, Shut up.” Rhodey shrugged, because he wasn’t wrong, “Peter, bud, do you copy?” No answer, “Peter!”  
  
“ _It’s okay, Tony!”_ Steve yelled, “ _We’ve got him.”_  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
_“We’ve got a team out with him.”_ _He’s not alone out there.”_  
  
“You better be right about this, Cap. You know--”  
  
_“I know, Tony._ _He’s okay, trust me.”_  
  
Tony wanted to grill him for more detail, but a series of missiles struck the ground, knocking them down. The canons came from overhead, Thanos’ ship, he must have been scared because he hadn’t only condemned the Avengers, but his own army too.    
  
“Peter?” Tony charged forward, narrowing missing shots from above, “Has anyone got eyes on Peter?” No one spoke. It was radio silent because they were distracted by the hell raining down on them, “Friday, find Peter, now.”   
  
The missile strike ended as quickly as it began, Tony stopped dead in his tracks and looked up. Everyone stood in collective silence, as the cannons changed their trajectory and moved to clouds, aiming for something no one could see.  
  
“ _What the hell is this_?” Sam asked.  
  
“Friday…” Tony narrowed his eyes, “What are they firing at?  
  
“ _Something just entered the upper atmosphere_.”  
  
Something bright and determined broke through the clouds and tore through Thanos’ ship like it was butter. No weapon could do that, there was only one person in the _universe_ that Tony knew, who could destroy something so effortlessly. _Carol Danvers._ The one who brought him home, so he could be a husband to Pepper, and a father to Morgan. The one who saved him, so when the time came, he could help save Peter  
  
Danvers watched as the ship collapsed into the water below before she headed down to join the fight.  
  
“Peter, Peter..” Tony stuttered like a mantra, “Does anyone have eyes on Spider-Man?” No answer, “Does anyone know where the hell _my_ kid is?!”   
  
“ _Tony_!” Bruce’s voice got through, “ _He’s with me, I’ve got him_ …”  
  
“I’m on my way.” Tony never moved so fast in his life, as soon as his eyes locked onto Bruce, he landed and hurried forward.  
  
Bruce was crouched down on one knee, with one hand pressed against Peter’s side. Peter's head hung low as he fought to breathe, his face was a daunting grey, devoid of all colour, and was covered in a series of scratches and lacerations. It shouldn’t be like this. Tony should have forced him to go home, where it was safe. He didn’t deserve this.  
  
“Hey, hey…” Tony fell to his knees, Peter shuffled closer and leaned his forehead against Tony’s shoulder, “Hey, bud.” He draped an arm around his back, “You’re alright, kid. I got ya.” He kissed his damp hair, and looked up to Bruce, “Is he okay?  
  
“His suit is only reporting bruises and a few broken ribs, but he’s healing.” Bruce explained, “This is just shock.”  
  
“Shut up, Uncle Bruce.” Peter murmured, “Not shock. I’m okay.”  
  
“Sure.” Tony mocked as he raised his eyebrows, “Get back out there, Bruce, I got this.” Bruce nodded before charging away, “Okay kid…” Tony tapped his shoulder, “You’re benched.”  
  
“No fair,” Peter whined.   
  
“You stay here..” Tony stood up, “Don’t move.”  
  
“Okay.” Peter sang; there was a clear sense of dishonesty in his dazed tone.  
  
“Why’d you say _okay_ like that?”  
  
“Like what?” He prodded Tony’s leg, “Just go Dad, I’ll be okay.”  
  
“I’m not leaving you here on your own.” Tony scoffed.  
  
“He’s not alone.” Tony knew who that was, all too well, and although he’d forgiven him for what he’d done when he wasn’t in control of his actions, it was still pretty unnerving to hear his voice. The voice of Bucky Barnes, “I can stay with him.”  
  
“...Are you sure? He’s a runner.” Tony warned.   
  
“I grew up with Steve, he picked a fight with everyone he could and that’s when he had asthma.” Bucky told him, Tony barked out a laugh, “I’ve got this.”  
  
Tony held out his hand, “Okay, Manchurian Candidate.” Bucky shook it, “You’re in charge. Keep him safe.”  
  
“You have my word.”  
  
“Thank you.” Tony moved back to Peter, ruffling his hair, “This will be over soon, bud, I promise.”  
  
“Be careful.”   
  
“I will be.”


	129. You Can Let Go Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major Character Death & A Brief Mention Of Suicide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are then, it's time. 
> 
> EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO READ THE HAPPY ENDING! STOP! DON'T READ ON.  
> YOUR JOURNEY CONTINUES HERE: [A Million Dreams](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20883560/chapters/49639946)
> 
>  
> 
> To all of those, who are about to read what's below. I'm sorry.

Tony had been tossed around so mercilessly throughout the battle, so he knew he’d be sleeping off a pitiful concussion when this was all over. His suit was damaged, he could no longer reactivate his mask; he was genuinely surprised that his suit was managing to function after the damage it had sustained. For the billionth time that night, he was blown off his feet by a nearby explosion; he landed on his back, the body of an unidentifiable alien lay on top of him, “Eh…” He prodded it, “Friday, what the hell was that?”   
  
“ _Thanos destroyed Lang’s van, Boss_!”   
  
Tony’s stomach sank to his feet. He pushed the alien off and noticed the gauntlet down on the ground. He charged forward to grab it, but Thanos was quick on his feet and threw him aside before he had the chance.  
  
Tony pressed his forehead against the dirt, as he struggled to force air back into his shocked lungs. There was no way to return the stones to where they belonged, and they didn’t have the time or the resources to build another tunnel. They couldn’t go back, so they’d have to keep fighting because there was no way in hell that Thanos was going to stop until he had the stones.

Thanos had one mission, a _duty_ . An oath he swore to himself, to kill half of the universe, so the other half could _thrive_. It didn’t work out though, because being the emotionless monster he was, he never considered the complexity of love, in his genocidal scheme.

When you lose someone, you don’t live on like nothing happened. The universe didn’t celebrate or bow down to Thanos for what he decided to do. Some tried to move on, in the shadow of what happened. Others lost too much and went out on their own terms. Some waited because they knew they’d get their happy ending.   
  
Tony fought for happy endings, that was his _oath_. To protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. To stop things like Thanos from ever happening. Iron Man was born from _trauma_ , and in the wake of that, it helped shape Tony into the person he was now. What he’d been for over two decades, who he was destined to be. Not a superhero, that wasn’t at the top of the agenda, it never had been. There was something he was born to be and had been for the past twenty-one years. _A Dad_.   
  
It was fatherhood that brought him here. If he didn’t have Peter or Morgan, then he wouldn’t have run into the jaws of hell to fight Thanos. The world might consider it _selfish_ because Tony didn’t fight for them, he fought for his kids and their happy endings.   
  
Tony crawled forward on his elbows as Thanos threw Danvers across the battlefield. Thanos had the gauntlet, he had the _stones_. Tony knew what was going to happen, what he had to do. He’d known for a long time since this all began. It wasn't his fault that he started to believe that he could have a happy ending too, not just the people he loved. Screw that, _hey?_ This was never about him, it was about making sure the world was safe and sound for his _kids_ , for Pepper, and his friends.   
  
Tony was born to be a _dad_. And good parents, make all the necessary sacrifices for their kids. Even if that meant, by giving them both the chance to lead happy lives, he wouldn’t get to see them.  
  
Strange turned to him, misty-eyed, with guilt etched over his expression, he held up one trembling finger. _One in fourteen million._  
  
Tony feared the fall, he dreaded it. Even with his self-destructive behaviours and all the times he wished he’d died, he was _scared_. As terrified as Peter had been on Titan, and Natasha had been on Vormir. He didn’t want to die, but it was the only way or he condemned everyone else to _death_.  
  
Tony worried about a lie he told. _Well_ , it wasn’t meant to be a lie, but if he did this, it would be. Peter was brought up on the belief that if he held on tight enough to Tony, neither of them could fall. If one fell, the other caught them, that was the promise. Figuratively, and sometimes, physically. It was a coping mechanism for Peter’s anxiety, one Tony thought would work, but he never thought it would come back to haunt him like this. Peter couldn't catch him this time.  
  
_No,_  Peter had to watch Tony fall.   
  
Tony charged over, the thoughts of those he loved on his mind, he didn’t directly go for the gauntlet, he went for the stones. His nanotech morphed around them, he stole them from right under Thanos’ nose. _Never concentrate on the eyes, concentrate on the hands._  
  
Thanos grew tired of their fight, and punched Tony in the stomach, sending him flying back. Thanos secured the _empty_ gauntlet on his wrist, with a gentle sneer, because he thought he’d won. “I am…” He brought his thumb and index fingers together, “...Inevitable.” He snapped. Nothing happened.   
  
Tony got up onto his knees. He held up his arm to present the stones to Thanos as they clicked into position. He could feel the energy channel through him, and it _hurt_. It was too much at once. Like the pain of every injury, he’d ever faced, mixed into one. He could feel his insides being torn apart, he was being ripped to shreds, piece by piece, and, he could never be put back together again.   
  
“And I…” Tony cried out, “...Am...Iron Man.” He brought his fingers together and snapped, only to be blinded by a bright white light. 

* * *

Peter understood why he’d been benched. Tony was _paranoid_ , and rightfully so. Peter couldn’t imagine what the five years without him had been like for his parents, they’d both told him multiple times that they feared losing him, and he promised nothing bad would ever happen, but it did happen, he disappeared. He _died_ , and left them behind, to live on, in the wake of that. He saw the grief reflected in their eyes, they had stared at him like he was a ghost. They went through all that and still managed to raise his sister. Peter would never complain again because his parents were amazing, and he would make sure he told them that all the time.  
  
Bucky let Peter pace but would grab his shoulder and drag him back if he wandered too far.   
  
Peter felt dread press against his chest, making it hard to breathe. The hairs on the back of his arms stood on end, he bolted from where he was and stopped at the edge of the crater they were in, his eyes searched for Tony.   
  
“Peter?” Bucky walked over, “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Nothing…” Peter blurted unsurely, “Just...just, _um,_ super... senses and stuff…” His stomach lunged forward, and bile threatened to rise in his throat when he found Tony, “There’s my dad…”  
  
Bucky placed a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Kid, I think you should sit down….”    
  
Peter leaned forward, narrowing his eyes, “What is he doing?” It was too late, when Peter noticed Thanos, he’d been too busy watching Tony.  
  
“Looks like…”  
  
“Wait…” Peter’s heart jumped into his throat. Tony had the _stones_. The six infinity stones, each controlled an essential aspect of existence, they were too powerful for a mortal man to wield. Peter knew _that_. Tony knew that...which meant, “ _No._ ” Peter brushed Bucky’s hand off his shoulder and legged it, “Dad!” He screamed, Bucky’s strong arm wrapped around his front, pulling him back, “Dad!”  
  
“Peter, wait!” A bright light overwhelmed Peter’s senses, and he was blinded for a second. When he recovered, he noticed members of Thanos’ army start to fade to nothing, to _dust_ , like he once had.  
  
“Let me go.” Peter pushed against Bucky’s arm, but the supersoldier didn’t flinch, “Stop it!” He kicked Bucky’s shin, “Stop it, get off me!”  
  
“I’m sorry.”   
  
“Just get off me, now!” Peter barked as he thrashed around, trying to break free “Let go of me! Bucky, get the hell off of me!” He grabbed Bucky’s arm with all his remaining strength and pushed it away, giving him the time and space he needed to escape.  
  
“Peter!” Bucky shouted.   
  
Peter didn’t stop, he couldn’t stop for anything.   
  
Tony fell, and he didn’t catch him.   
  
Peter was tired and angry that he had to keep watching his dad lay his life on the line, Tony was always the one who made the sacrifice play, and Peter knew that one day, it would kill him. The world needed Iron Man, and, for the first time in his life, Peter realised that it didn’t deserve him.  
  
Peter was too weak to keep running, and time was running out. He webbed up the side of a destroyed ship, and flew over the battleground, landing with a thump behind Rhodey. Tony sat in front of him, a shadow of who he’d once been. The suit was torn apart, melted in places, his skin was an unfamiliar grey, and the stones had charred the right side of his body; his eyes were wide open, staring lifelessly forward.  
  
_Of course_ , it was Rhodey who got to Tony first. They’d known each other since they were teenagers, they were brothers, in every way, besides blood. Tony and Peter’s promise, where if one fell, the other caught them, wasn’t the only one that would be broken. Tonight was the night of broken promises. Years ago, when Tony was kidnapped, and held captive for three months, Rhodey made an oath to Peter, one that carried on, even after Tony was saved. A silent agreement that Rhodey held with his nephew, that in a few short minutes, would _shatter_.   
  
_Are you gonna bring him back?_  
  
_I will never stop looking for him._  
  
_Promise?_  
  
_Yeah, Pete. I promise._  
  
“Dad?” Peter cried out. _Damn this_ , he wasn’t going to stop trying, he’d keep holding on until there was nothing else to do, but let go.   
  
Rhodey bowed his head to his chest and turned to look at him, “Pete....”   
  
Peter collapsed down on his knees in front of his dad, Rhodey stood up, but he stayed, “Hey…” Peter tried to sound _hopeful_ , but his voice trembled, “Dad?” He whimpered, as he moved Tony’s hand and grabbed it. Tony stared vacantly ahead. Not even registering that Peter was there. He was too far gone, “Can you hear me? It’s Peter!”   
  
Tony jolted, his focus moved onto Peter but he still said _nothing_.  
  
“It’s me. It’s me, it’s Peter!” Peter sobbed as he held onto Tony’s shoulder, “ _Your_ Peter!” Tony’s mouth twitched, but no words passed his lips, “We _won_ , Dad. We won...Dad.” He pulled on Tony’s hand and shoulder, “We won, you did it!” His last line of defence collapsed as he realised that words weren’t enough to save him, “We can go home now!” He pleaded, “Dad…Dad, please. Dad, _listen_ to me!”  
  
Two gentle hands pressed against Peter’s shoulders, he didn’t have to look, he knew it was his _mum_.   
  
“No, get off…” Peter begged as he pulled delicately, though desperately on Tony’s shoulders, “Come on!” He felt his knees weaken below him,  he swayed to the side, holding onto Tony’s arm, “I’m _sorry_...Dad.”   
  
Pepper fell to her knees beside them, “I’ve got you, sweetheart.” She eased, she outstretched her arm, for Peter to grab hold of. Peter and Pepper’s promise was the only one that wouldn’t be broken.  
  
_Sweetheart, I need you to understand, that there is a chance. A small chance...that he won’t come back._  
  
_He will. Uncle Rhodey promised and Dad... wouldn’t leave me._  
  
_I get it. But whatever happens, I’m not going anywhere, okay?_  
  
She placed her other hand flat against Tony’s chest, “Hey.” She called softly, in a whisper.  
  
Tony’s eyes shifted, landing on her, “Hey, Pep.” He managed to choke out, but his voice sounded _wrong._  
  
Peter realised why Tony hadn’t said anything to him, it was because he wasn’t sure if Peter was real or not. Tony was dazed, barely holding on. It was plausible that he didn’t even remember how he got here, or _why_. He spent five years without Peter, and he’d probably vividly imagined him, many times. So, on his deathbed, he wasn’t sure if his kid was a vivid dream, a hallucination at the end. Peter needed him to know that he was _alive._ He needed Tony to know, he did it, he brought him back.  
  
Tony lay his hand over Pepper’s, “Friday?” Pepper spoke, desperately.   
  
_“Life signs critical.”_  
  
Tony’s head limply fell towards his shoulder as he tried to _hold_ on, _“_ Tony…” Pepper smiled, it was small, but it was there. _For Tony_. Peter would never understand her strength, but he respected it, and he’d be there for her when her defences collapsed, “Look at me...” Peter’s head fell to his chest, he pulled Pepper’s arm closer, as he cried out.   
  
“Pe..ter?”   
  
Peter’s breath hitched as he looked up. Tony was staring at him, realisation swimming in his eyes, he knew for certain, that Peter was undoubtedly _real_.  
  
“Dad?” With strength that he shouldn’t have, Tony moved his hand and pressed it against Peter’s cheek. Peter leaned into the touch, “...Dad.”   
  
“To…” Tony managed to say, in a mangled breath, but it was obvious that he could not finish.  
  
Peter knew exactly what he was trying to say, so he’d finish it for him, “...The moon and back.”   
  
Tony’s mouth twitched in the corner, almost as if he wanted to smile. Peter wanted him to know that if he needed to, he could _let go_ and the fall wouldn’t hurt. Part of him, you could call it selfish, or perhaps a better word would be innocent, couldn’t tell Tony it was _okay_ because he wasn’t ready to watch him fall.   
  
“Tony.” Pepper lulled, he looked over, but his hand never slipped from Peter’s cheek, “We’re gonna be _okay_.” She stroked her hand through his hair, as he let out his last few strained breaths, “You can rest now.”  
  
Tony’s head loosely fell to the side and he let out one last breath, and that was _it_.   
  
The arc reactor flickered off, and his hand pressed against Peter’s cheek fell away.   
  
An unsettling silence fell across the battlefield. There was nothing. Just _nothing_.  
  
That was until the reality of everything hit Peter and he lunged forward, “No, _no_. Dad!”   
  
Pepper turned and caught his flailing wrists, she guided him down to his knees as she threw herself around him, holding him back in a loving hold. Peter tried to escape, as he sobbed, but in his state, she was _stronger_ , able to keep him grounded. He held out his arms, trying to get away, Pepper held them, with all her might.  
  
Peter melted into her arms, every last ounce of hope, _gone_.   
  
He _screamed_. It was all he could do. The sound he made would be impossible to explain. It was soul-crushing to every person across the battlefield who had the misfortune to hear it.   
  
Pepper tangled her fingers in his hair, muttering soft reassurance that fell on deaf ears, as she rubbed circles against his back.  
  
Peter’s throat seized, he choked out a shaky breath as he stared at Tony’s lifeless body. His shoulders slumped, and his face fell into Pepper’s shoulder, as he could no longer bear the view.   
  
Pepper kissed his cheek and finally allowed herself to break against his shoulder.  
   
No one spoke or even moved. They all stood motionless, as the universe around them celebrated because unbeknownst to them, they had just lost their best defender. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, all the callbacks to the start of this fanfiction made me sob like a baby. I'm sorry...now...all that's left is the fallout.


	130. The Fall

Peter was sat in a private secluded lounge of the Wakanda’s Citadel. The city had been opened for all who were involved in the final battle, soldiers who needed urgent medical care and even those who simply needed somewhere to rest.   
  
He couldn’t recall the elements of the journey. The image was distorted, behind a symphony of sobbing and a thunderous tantrum. _You see_ , Peter hadn’t let Tony go without a fight, even after he took his last breath. Peter's lungs burned, his throat was strained from all the screaming. He was sure he had hit Thor when he was only trying to help calm him down. Thor never once faltered. He took the beating, with his head held high, because he knew Peter would eventually crumble under the weight of what had happened. When he did, Thor simply scooped him up, and carried him, like a child, through a portal into the safety of Wakanda.   
  
After many soft apologies and promises that she’d be back before he knew it, Pepper had to leave, to call Happy, and somehow explain to a four-year-old Morgan, that Tony was never coming back.   
  
Thor stayed with him. They didn’t _speak_. Peter didn’t want to. He curled up on a couch and buried his face in his knees while Thor pondered around in the kitchen. Thor wasn’t the same man that Peter had once known. He was isolated, and far less confident then he’d once been. Peter didn’t blame him, he’d admired that after everything Thor had lost, he was enduringly compassionate, and still put everyone’s needs before his own.  
  
Peter snapped into a defensive position with his fist raised, when a hand pressed against his shoulder, “Sorry, Young Stark.” Thor held his hand back, Peter let out a shaky breath as he relaxed because Thor wasn’t a _danger_ , “I made these for you.”  
  
Thor held out a plate, Peter boosted up on his knee, to grab it. It was an _attempt_ at scrambled eggs. Peter didn’t have the heart to tell his uncle that he didn’t have an appetite, so he took the plate, and muttered his gratitude.   
  
“Your…” Thor cut himself off, “... _He_ said they were your favourite.”   
  
“Yeah…” Peter was a fan of scrambled eggs, they were easy to cook and eat for someone with a heightened metabolism. He wouldn’t say they were his _favourite_. Thor was vulnerable, after what he’d been through. _So_ , Peter knew that his dad had told Thor that he enjoyed eggs to trick Thor into eating something relatively healthy and Thor, being the man he was, was unknowingly doing the same with Peter.  
  
He placed the plate on the small table at the end of the couch, “I…” Thor started, “Bruce needs my assistance. Will you be okay until your mother returns?” Peter nodded, Thor squeezed his shoulder, “I won’t be far away, Young Stark.”  
  
Thor stepped out of the room, and Clint walked in, “Hey Pete….” Peter swung his legs over the edge of the couch, and fumbled with his fingers as he watched Clint pace over, “Is your mum around?”  
  
“On the phone…” Peter muttered back, almost inaudible.  
  
“Um, okay, well I’m going home now.” Clint crossed his arms, “If you ever need anything. You phone me, and I’ll come running.” He gestured back towards the window, “Laura said the same. If you ever need space, you can stop over with us whenever you need to. Even if it's three in the morning. The door is always open for you.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Clint ruffled Peter’s hair and nudged his chin up, “We love you, kid.” He smiled warmly, “See you soon.” Peter nodded and watched as Clint moved back towards the door.  
  
“Uncle Clint?” The words were foreign in Peter’s mouth. He hadn’t meant to speak, but he had a question that he knew he needed to ask, but he wasn’t ready to hear the answer.  
  
Peter had noticed it first on the battlefield. The _absence_ of Natasha Romanoff. He tried to find an effortless excuse. _Maybe_ , she was on the other side of the battleground and they hadn’t crossed paths. Or _perhaps_ , she was somewhere, fighting another battle. He knew he was reaching with the latter, but he couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone else. Not Natasha, _not his auntie Nat_. She was his confidant and the only person in the universe that he wanted to talk to about his dad. The one who could potentially stop him from crumbling. She’d know what to say, she always did.

The worst part was he _knew._ She was gone. He’d worked it out long before Tony died but he’d decided not to think about it, until now.   
  
Clint turned back, “Yeah?”  
  
Peter stood up, keeping his eyes locked on the floor as he closed the distance between them, “Auntie Nat…” His throat seized, “She’s gone, isn’t she?”   
  
Clint paled, and he brushed the back of his hand over his face, “Yeah...she’s gone.” Peter’s stomach dropped, he dug his nails into his palm, to feel something. _Anything._  “Pete...no,” Clint caught Peter’s wrists and pried his fingers back.  
  
Peter clutched onto Clint’s wrists, fearing the fall, “Wh-at...happ-en-ed?”  
  
Clint gently locked his fingers around Peter’s hands,  “...The Soul Stone...it required a sacrifice…” He swallowed, as he shook his head, “She, um, wouldn’t let me…” Peter blinked away tears, Clint squeezed his hands, “She loved you.” His voice wavered, “Um, they both did.”  
  
“I don’t know…” Peter stifled a sob, “I don’t know what to do...I love Mum, and Rhodey, but the only person I wanna talk to about Dad...is…”  
  
“Tasha?”  
  
“And…Dad is the person I wanna talk to about Nat, and they’re both…” He collapsed, like a puppet cut free from its strings, into Clint’s arms.  
  
Peter pressed his forehead against Clint’s collarbone as he cried, Clint moved his arms and wrapped them around Peter’s back, “It’s okay. I got ya, buddy.”   
  
The door clicked open, “...Oh, sweetheart.” Pepper gasped as she hurried in, “What happened?”  
  
Clint turned, keeping a strong arm locked around Peter, “He asked me about Tasha.”  
  
“Um..thank you, I can-” Pepper sounded cautious, and it wasn’t directed towards Peter. It was for Clint. Peter didn’t know what had happened in those five years but Clint must have done something that _scared_ Pepper. All night, she’d been using a gentle tone, with everyone they came into contact with, besides Clint. She still spoke softly, but there was a sharp assertiveness in her tone as if she didn’t want him this close to Peter.  
  
Clint sighed, stepping out of the hug, and guiding Peter into his mother’s open arms, “Here you go, Pete.” He uttered before turning on his heel to leave.  
  
Pepper tightened her arms around Peter, cradling his head in her palm as she shushed him, “I’m here, baby. I won’t leave you again, I promise.”  
  
“I wanna go home.” Peter confided as he buried his face in the groove of her neck, making himself as small as possible in her arms.   
  
“We can go home.”   
  
Peter’s heart dropped, “Morgan….”  
  
Pepper pulled back, holding his shoulders, “She knows about... Dad…” She cried, “And Happy’s gonna tell her about Nat...but she’s very excited to meet you.”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“No, no…” Pepper cupped his cheek, “Stop saying that. None of this is your fault.” She took his hand, “Come on, let’s go home.”  
  
Peter knew they weren’t going home though, not really. It would never truly be home without Tony.

* * *

Wong came to open a portal to the Lake House, he did it with ease and Peter was left hovering in Wakanda, staring at his house, where his sister was, waiting for him.  
  
Once he stepped over that threshold, his life would begin again. He’d have to start functioning as a person. It would be the first step in his new life, the one with Pepper, and Morgan. The one _without_ Tony.  
  
“I can’t do this, Mum.” He admitted, “Morgan doesn’t know me. Dad should be here, not me.”  
  
“Look at me, sweetheart.” He turned to her with misty-eyes, “It’s _not_ either-or. You should both be here.” She brushed his tears away with the side of her thumb, “Trust me, Morgan knows you. She’s been raised on stories about you ...”  
  
“I’m gonna…” Peter sniffled, “... Let her down.”  
  
“You could _never_ let her down.” Pepper locked her hand around his, “Together?” Peter clung to her, like a lifeline, as he nodded.   
  
Pepper made the first step. Peter had no time to run or change his mind because they were through the gateway faster then he’d expected they would be, and it closed behind them.  
  
He nervously kicked his foot against the soil as he stood taking in the view. For Peter, it had barely been a day since he was last here, but in reality, it had been five years. Still, nothing had _changed_ , not really. It was the same as he’d left it. Apart from Morgan’s toys that were spread across the ground, hidden in trees and under leaves.  
  
Peter felt the ground soften beneath his feet when his eyes found his sister, he tightened his grip around Pepper’s arm as a heavy weight pressed against his chest.  
  
Morgan stood on the porch, staring down at her feet, holding onto Happy’s hand.  
  
Peter dug his heels into the dirt and shook his head as he muttered under his breath. Pepper loosened her hold, and leaned over, pressing a kiss against his cheek, “Wait here..”  
  
Pepper walked over to the porch, “Hey…”  
  
Morgan looked up, light flickering in her eyes when she saw Pepper, “Mummy!” She cooed, rushing over and locking herself around Pepper’s leg.  
  
“Hey, darling.” Pepper got to her knees and brushed Morgan’s hair out of her eyes.  
  
“Happy said Daddy’s sleeping now,” Morgan muttered innocently.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Morgan tilted her head to her shoulder, “Is he gonna wake up?”  
  
“No…” Pepper cried, “He can’t, honey.”  
  
Morgan’s gaze fell on Peter, “But Petey did.”  
  
“Your brother wasn’t sleeping, baby.” Pepper explained as she pushed her Morgan's hair behind her ear, “He was lost for a long time... but we found him.”  
  
“Is he okay?” Morgan chirped, as she bounced back and forth.  
  
“He will be.” Pepper placed her hand on Morgan’s side, “Would you like to meet him?”   
  
“Yes, please.”  
  
Pepper turned around, “Peter…It’s alright, sweetheart.”  
  
Peter limped over, and got down onto his knees, “Hey.”  
  
Morgan waddled over until her feet were up against Peter’s knees, “Daddy said you got lost on the moon.”  
  
Peter’s mouth twitched into a small smile, “I did.”  
  
“That made Mummy and Daddy sad.” She confessed, “And me.”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
Morgan’s face lit up, and she prodded his arm, “You’re back.” Peter nodded as he gently locked his fingers around her wrist, “Is Daddy up there now?”  
  
“Yeah, he is…” Peter strained, “And he’s gonna keep us safe.”  
  
“And Auntie Nat?” Morgan asked. Peter whimpered, unable to answer as he broke. Morgan rushed into his arms, “Don’t cry, Petey.” She told him as she laid her head against his shoulder, “You won’t get lost again ‘cause I can hold on real tight.”  
  
Peter snorted a sad laugh, “Yeah?”  
  
“Yeah…” She tightened her grip, “Now you won’t get lost!”  
  
“That sounds good.”  
  
Morgan leaned back into his arms to look him in the eye, “Daddy told me you give the best hugs.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“He was right…” Morgan giggled, she leaned forward, and whispered in his ear, “You're Spider-Man.”  
  
“Huh!” Peter faked surprise and moved closer, to mutter in her ear, “I know.”  
  
Morgan laughed and pressed a finger to her lips, “But that’s a secret.”  
  
He bopped her nose, “Only the best know.” Morgan hurried back into a hug, holding him close. Peter scooped her up into his arms as he stood up, “Hey, Happy.”  
  
“Hey, kid.”  
  
Morgan reached her arm out, “Mummy’s crying.”  
  
Peter’s heart leapt into his throat as he turned to Pepper. She was stood off to the side, tears running down her cheeks, as she watched them, “Mum?”   
  
“You’re…” She choked out a mangled sob, “You’re _together_ , and it’s just...” Peter leapt forward, locking his free arm around Pepper, as he used the other to support Morgan.  
  
Peter wasn’t sure how life would work out without Tony. He’d never imagined a scenario where he had to grow up without his dad. The future was uncertain, but whatever happened, Pepper and Morgan, they were his life. 

They were his  _ everything _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three to go...
> 
> Due to Whumptober, I've decided that the alternative happy ending will be updated on Wednesdays and Fridays while this one will continue to be updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays :)


	131. These Walls Won't Hold

In the light of everything that had happened, a funeral seemed like a normality. Funerals happen every day across the globe because everybody dies. Sometimes sooner then they should have. Peter could handle a funeral. It was what came next that he feared.   
  
Peter groaned, aggravated. He lashed out, kicking his foot against his wardrobe door, the wood caved in on itself and he cursed his luck as he marched over to his bed, crashing down on it as he brushed the marks off his shoes. He couldn’t do his tie. He’d never been able to do them. Tony tried to teach him, many times, but the skill never stuck. Peter didn’t want to disturb Pepper, she already had too much on her plate.   
  
It seemed like a small thing to freak out about, but Peter thought if he could do this one thing that Tony used to help him with, then maybe he could learn to move on. It was a stupid nagging thought but if he couldn’t even do his tie without Tony, _how would he do anything else_?  
  
The door clicked open, and Morgan hurried in. Peter had quickly learned that Morgan had no boundaries or rules if she wanted to do something, she did it. _So_ , he’d grown accustomed to her barging into his room without so much as a knock.   
  
She bounced over and pulling herself onto the bed, “Are you okay, Petey?”  
  
“Yeah, I....” He pulled on his tie, “I can’t do my tie.”  
  
“I can!” She exclaimed, proudly, holding her arm up like she was waiting to answer a question at school.  
  
Peter raised his eyebrows, “Yeah?”   
  
“Daddy taught me.” She explained, “You want me to do it?”  
  
Peter wasn’t sure if she could actually do it, or she thought she could but he didn’t want to disappoint her, not when she seemed so delighted at the prospect of doing his tie. “Yes, please.” He jumped off the bed and knelt on the floor so that Morgan could reach.   
  
Turns out, Morgan could do a tie. She chewed on her lip and muttered the instructions out loud to herself, in a fashion that mirrored Tony, “Ta-da.” She threw her hands back to admire her handiwork.   
  
“Wow.” Peter stood up and pressed a kiss against her forehead, “Thank you, Munchkin.” It hadn’t taken long for Peter to develop that nickname for his sister, it had only been a week, and she had made him watch ‘ _The Wizard Of Oz_ ’ five times. He wasn’t complaining. He wanted to spend every minute of every day with her.  
  
“Morgan!” Pepper’s voice echoed, outside the room, “Honey, where are you?”  
  
Peter scooped Morgan into his arms and headed out, “Mum.” Pepper turned, relief washing over her face when she saw them.  
  
“There you are.” She pressed her hand against Morgan’s cheek, and subconsciously pushed Peter’s curls out of his eyes, “Are you two ready to come downstairs?”   
  
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, “I’m ready.” He bounced Morgan in his arm, “What about you, Munchkin?”  
  
“I’m ready.” Morgan leaned chin against Peter’s shoulder and made herself as small as possible in his arms because she _wasn’t_ ready. None of them were, but they had each other and they had to work from there.   
  
“I’ve got you.” He whispered, so only she could hear.

* * *

Tony left a final message. It was a goodbye, _of sorts._ Peter hadn’t watched it yet, none of them had. It was Tony’s eulogy, and it was special. They had to hear it as a family because that’s why Tony had filmed it, to help them all find a way to move on.  
  
Peter sat on the couch with Happy, Morgan and Pepper. Morgan had wedged herself between him and their mum. She leaned her head against Peter’s side, while clutching onto Pepper’s hand, with all her might. Peter’s arm was draped around Morgan’s shoulders, and Pepper was holding onto his hand.  
  
Peter hadn't paid much attention to who else was in the room aside from Rhodey, who sat in the armchair. He knew some people were scattered behind the couch, but he hadn’t looked, fearing that Steve would be among them.  
  
Pepper gave Friday the signal, and the video started. It wasn’t a video, it was a full-body hologram. Tony burst into life, it was like he was _actually_ there. Morgan flinched, and Peter slouched down, so he could rest his head on hers. If it was scary for him, it was terrifying for her. She wasn’t there at the _end_ , she never got her goodbye. Peter got his last _‘to the moon and bac_ k’ and although the memory was not one he’d cherish, Morgan’s life with Tony never got a full stop. It was open-ended because they never said goodbye. Like a book, with the last chapter torn out.   
  
Tony was sat the wrong way around in a chair, leaning his chin his hand. The hologram looked real but it would never be him, he was transparent in places, like he was a ghost.   
  
“ _Everybody wants a happy ending, right_?” Tony anxiously tapped the side of the chair as he started, “But it _doesn't always roll that way..._ _Maybe this time.”_ Happy squeezed Peter’s shoulder, reassuringly, _“I'm hoping if you play this back…”_ Tony sighed, “ _It's in celebration. I hope families are reunited. I hope we get it back, in somewhat like a normal version of the planet has been restored, if there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe now_. _If you told me 10 years ago that we weren't alone, let alone you know to this extent... I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised...”_  
  
Peter’s breath hitched when the hologram of his dad looked up, directly at him. Tony’s mouth twitched into a smile, and tears glazed in his eyes. Pepper pressed a kiss against Peter’s hand, as she tightened her hold.  
  
 “ _But come on, you know…”_ Tony raised his eyebrows, “ _O_ _ne minute life is somewhat normal, and the next my kid gets bitten by a radioactive spider and is swinging around New York saving kittens from trees.”_  
  
Peter let out a wet laugh, and everyone in the room couldn’t hide a slight fond chuckle.  
  
_“It’s wild…”_ Tony said, “ _The epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And for better or worse, that's the reality Morgan's going to find a way to grow up in.  I found a private area to record a little greeting in case of an untimely death on my part. Not that death at any time is ever timely ...”_ Tony trailed off as he tried to make sense of what he was saying, “ _This time travel thing that we are going to pull off tomorrow... it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of all this.”_  
  
Peter bit his lip, suppressing a cry. Tony knew that he’d die for this, and he did anyway. He did it for them, his family, his children because he wanted them to have a bright future. Not to be condemned to darkness.  
_  
__“But then again that's the hero gig..”_ Tony held out his hand, _“Part of the journey is the end. What am I tripping for?”_ He jumped out of the chair, closing the distance between him, and them, “ _Everything is going to work out exactly the way it's supposed to.”_ He leaned down, pressing his hand against the helmet, he looked up at Peter, there was a short silence, before his focus shifted to Morgan, “ _I love you 3000.”_  
  
And with that, Tony disappeared.   
  
Peter let out a sob, dipping his head to his chest. _Tony did it_. He left Morgan with a goodbye. His dying words for his last ‘ _I love you_ ’ to Peter, and his final recorded words were his last ‘I love you’ to Morgan. He left the world making sure his children knew what they meant to him. 

* * *

Peter’s mind clouded for the rest of the service. He carried Morgan for most of it. They gathered outside, down by the lake. Pepper pushed a reef across the lake, Tony’s first arc reactor sat on top of it. The one engraved with ‘ _Proof Tony Stark Has A Heart_.’ Peter remembered the day Tony opened it, and how he teased his dad for his obvious crush on Pepper. Years down the line, they were married, they had two children together, and Tony died. It didn’t seem fair, after everything they'd been through as a family.  
  
Peter took time away from the group after that. He stood by the river bank, away from the chatter. He mindlessly skipped stones across the river, as he relaxed, even if it was just for a second.  
  
“Peter…” Steve interrupted as he cautiously walked over to him, “Can we talk?”  
  
“No,” Peter said, bluntly, as he threw a stone into the water. He turned to look at him, “Not right now.”  
  
“Just a second?” Steve pleaded, “I wanted to say that I’m…”  
  
“Don’t.” Peter sighed, “Just don’t.”  
  
“Peter?”  
  
“Steve…” Peter knew what he wanted but he wasn’t ready to let go of the past, “I’m sorry but I’m not there yet. The last thing I said to you...I meant it.” _I never want to see you again,_ “My dad had seven years, right? I’ve barely had two. I need more time.”  
  
“Okay. Peter, I am _sorry._ ” That apology didn’t sit well because of how Steve said it, it wasn’t an apology for Siberia, it was as if he was apologizing for something he hadn’t done yet, “You deserved better.”  
  
Steve turned away, and Wanda hurried over, ignoring him, to get Peter. “Hey…” She muttered softly, glaring after Steve, as he walked to Sam.    
  
“Hey…”   
  
“What was that…”  
  
“I don’t…” Peter stuttered, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”  
  
“Okay.” Wanda reached out, taking his hand, as they stared across the lake.   
  
“Does it get easier?” Peter asked, squeezing her hand, “It's been a week…”  
  
“It’s hard but when you’ve got a reason..” She pointed to where Morgan was playing a game of tag with Clint’s youngest son, Nathan, “To keep fighting, it shifts the weight.” She looked at him, “I didn't know much about your dad, that's my fault.”  
  
“I don't blame you.” Peter sighed, “Berlin was…”.  
  
“A mistake...” Wanda admitted, “We should have stuck together. I wish that we had. Tony loved you, that I know. So did Nat, we could never get her to shut up about you...and...ummm…” She pulled him closer, “Vision loved you too. He was so proud of you ...”  
  
“I miss him.”   
  
“Me too.”  
  
Peter rested his hand against her arm, “Do you think they know? Vis, Auntie Nat, Dad and...Pietro? Do you think they know we made it?”  
  
“Yeah, they do.” Wanda said as if she knew for certain, “I know they do.” Peter nodded, “So, Clint was telling me how you’re going back to school next week.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, well I had to go back eventually,” Peter shrugged, “From now on, I have to put Morgan first, and she copies everything I do, so, if I go back to school, it will be easier for her when she starts in September.”  
  
“That’s great.” She gestured to Morgan, “She’s great.”  
  
“She is.” Peter’s throat cracked, “Wanda, I don't know what to do now…”  
  
“Peter…” She turned, so he was looking her in the eye, “I think you need to hear this from someone: You don't have to be Spider-Man anymore. We don’t deserve you. No one does. No one would be angry if you stopped.”  
  
“Thank you.”


	132. In Spite Of The Uneven Odds

Pepper felt powerless around Peter. Growing up, he’d been an open book and would turn to her whenever he needed help. It was different after he became Spider-Man, he kept secrets and internalised his anxieties. It took her so long to build that wall of trust again, to coax him into feeling comfortable to talk to her about his second life. He’d been scared of _hurting_ her and she understood that.   
  
They had been in a brilliant place before Thanos. Peter told his parents everything. _He got hurt?_ They knew straight away. _He was struggling under the weight of his responsibilities?_ He reached out for help.   
  
Then they lost him, and never found a way to move on. Not even Morgan could soften that blow.   
  
Now, Peter was _back_ , he was safe by Pepper’s side, but Tony was _gone_.  
  
She tried to talk to Peter, but this time, he’d built his walls so high, and she worried that she’d never see the other side. This wasn’t the happy ending they deserved, she knew that. If Tony was here with them, it would be _better._ However, under the circumstances, Peter and Morgan were Pepper’s happy ending. Pepper would never find a way to explain that mindset to Peter, without hurting him.  
  
It was midnight, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Peter’s bedroom door wasn’t closed, he’d left it ajar. She pushed it open with a hesitant hand, “Sweetheart?”  
  
He was sprawled across his bed, in his pyjamas, although he was wide awake, mindlessly scrolling his phone. Ernő was curled up at the end, fast asleep. That made one of them.   
  
“Hey…” Peter mumbled back, as he dropped his phone onto his lap and looked up, “What's wrong?”  
  
Pepper let out a shaky breath, as she closed the door, she leaned her back against it, “You’re not sleeping, are you?”  
  
Peter deflated, as he dropped his chin to his chest, he muttered nonsensical words under his breath.   
  
She moved over, sitting on the edge of the bed. He shuffled away, hiding his face, “Peter…” She said gently, as she studied him, “Look at me.”   
  
Peter leapt off the bed, “What?!” He bellowed, his anger wavered, as he turned to face her.  
  
Pepper tilted her head to her shoulder, “Talk to me.”  
  
“About what?”  
  
“Anything.”  
  
Peter shook his head as his cheeks burnt red, “I don’t wanna talk.” He hissed, as he tapped his foot against the frame of his bed.  
  
“We need to.” She coaxed, “We hardly talk…and it’s been a month.”  
  
He threw a hand to his side, “Oh, yeah.” He sang, sarcastically upbeat, “Because a month’s a really long time! Like I’m gonna forget that Dad’s dead and everything is back to normal again!”  
  
“That’s not what I meant…”  
  
Peter balanced a hand on his hip as he breathed through a sob, “I shouldn’t be here, Mum.” He sniffled, “You were all happy...I ruined it.”   
  
Pepper’s heart dropped to her feet, and she felt the world collapse under her. She couldn’t let her son feel like he didn’t deserve to live, that knowledge hurt more than anything she’d felt since Tony died, “No.”  
  
“Don’t say I didn’t!” Peter snapped, “Everything was fine!” He stumbled back, and gestured to the door, “Morgan doesn’t _need_ me, she never even knew me! Dad didn’t have to do all this! He could have said ‘ _no_ ’ and none of this would have happened!”   
  
Pepper stared at him, with teary-eyes, “But what about you?”  
  
“What about me?” Peter hiccuped as his shoulders trembled, “I was dead.” He said that with such ease like it was nothing. Pepper’s breath hitched, she bit her lip, reminding herself that he was alive. Broken, but breathing, “You moved on because I was _gone_!” He slammed a fist against his chest, “Then Dad did what he was always gonna do, fuck it all up, and kill himself in the process!”  
  
_You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it._  
  
_I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason._  
  
_You have a_ ** _reason_** _. And he’s sat over there. You can’t tell me you didn’t fight for him._  
  
_I did. Of course, I did, but this, this is something else. Children like Peter are out there...being, you know. I’m not crazy Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right._  
  
_You pair are all I have, too, you know?_  
  
“I didn’t want that, okay?” Peter cried, “I didn’t want to lose him, or Auntie Nat….” He scraped his teeth across his lower lip, “I don’t want any of this! Did they ever think about what I needed?”  
  
Pepper reached out, catching his wrists, pulling him closer, “Do you think it was easy?” She asked as she rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand, “We never moved on, honey. It was impossible. There was never a day that past where you weren’t the first thing on my mind. Even when Morgan was a baby, and she’d wake in the middle of the night, I would remember doing the same with you, when you were little.”  
  
Peter hadn’t started calling Pepper ‘ _Mum_ ’ until he was eleven, but that didn’t matter. She’d been his mum, every step of the way, since the Parkers died.  
  
“You’re my kid.” She squeezed his hands, “You were long before your dad and I got together. You were my kid from the day he brought you home after you lost your parents.”   
  
Peter deserved better. He didn’t remember his biological parents, and now, he’d lost Tony too. _His dad_. The one who stepped up and took him in, even after being cautioned against it. Someone who loved him unconditionally.   
  
“You were ten-months-old and you'd lost so much…” Pepper choked out, “And you became our everything. Losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”  
  
Peter jolted but she held onto him tightly, she wouldn’t let him slip away.  
  
“I know that you’re angry, and baby, you have every right to be.” She told him, “Maybe your dad didn’t think about what you wanted.” She stuttered, “But you’re so young, and you deserve a second chance. When you’re a parent, you’ll do _anything_ to keep your kids safe.” 

He looked down at her, with red-rimmed eyes, and trembling bottom lip.

She leant on her knees on the mattress, until they were eye-to-eye. She cupped his cheek in her hand, “Every day without you, it felt like I was drowning, and your sister, she was like a…” She swallowed the lump in her throat, “ _Lifejacket_. She helped me float but she couldn’t pull me to safety. You did that...when you came back to us.”

“But Dad’s…”  
  
“I know this is gonna sound like shit, sweetheart…” She strained, “But if I had to pick you or your dad, it would be _you_. It would always be you. Your dad would say the same if he had to choose between you or me.” He pushed Peter’s curls behind his ear, “I understand what you’re feeling, but I don’t want you to blame yourself. It’s not your fault…”   
  
Peter collapsed into her arms, “I’m sorry.”   
  
“I know, honey.” Pepper rubbed circles against his back; she leaned back, holding out a hand, “Come on.” 

“Where are we going?” He asked as he took her hand.  
  
Pepper jumped off the bed, guiding him to the door, “You’ll see.”  
  
They travelled into Pepper’s room. Morgan was sat on the bed, bouncing back and forth, impatiently. Her face lit up at the sight of her brother, “Hey, Petey.”  
  
Peter forced a smile, “Hey, Morgs.”  
  
Morgan threw her arms out excitedly, “Mummy says we’re having a sleepover!”  
  
Peter looked up to Pepper, who nodded, he let out a long sigh, “Yeah.”  
  
“I snore a lot,” Morgan warned, Peter snorted a wet laugh as he sat down next to her.  
  
Peter laid in the middle of the bed, with his head on Pepper’s shoulder. His sister latched to his other side, hugging him, as tightly as she could.  
  
It didn’t take long for his defences to collapse. He nestled his face in the groove of Pepper’s neck as he _broke_. She shushed him as she combed her fingers through his curls. Pepper watched as her daughter squeezed Peter’s hand and pressed her forehead against his hip.  
  
Peter and Morgan were all Pepper had. They were her _everything,_ and it wasn’t going to be perfect without Tony, but she was going to try her best to help them live their lives as happily as they could, in the wake of all this.

* * *

Peter was grateful that Pepper had spoken to him. Recovering from what they went through wasn’t going to happen overnight. He’d been dreading opening up, especially when his mum already had the weight the world on her shoulders. He felt lighter when he woke up, like some of his troubles were learning to drift away. It was a start, and he was ready to take more steps in the right direction. Even if he would topple a few times, he had an amazing mum, who would pick him up along the way.  
  
He had Morgan too. One day she’d forget every memory she had of their dad. It was Peter’s job to keep him alive in her head, with stories, like Tony had once done for Peter.  
  
Pepper was still asleep. _So_ , the Stark siblings had snuck downstairs to play games and talk.  
  
Morgan grabbed her Spider-Man figurine, “Can I see one of your Spider-Man suits?” She asked as she sat opposite him, with her legs crossed.   
  
“Um..” He shook his head, “Not right now, munchkin. All of them are in storage.”  
  
Morgan’s forehead creased, as she fumbled with the figurine’s arm, “Why?”  
  
Peter shrugged,  “I’m not sure if I wanna be Spider-Man anymore.”  
  
Morgan tilted her head to her shoulder as her face scrunched up in confusion, “That’s stupid.”  
  
Peter’s eyebrows shot up, “Huh?”  
  
“You’re Spider-Man.” She sang as she held up the figurine, “You can’t _not_ be Spider-Man.”  
  
Peter’s heart fluttered because strangely enough, she had a point, “Oh, you think?”  
  
“I know, silly.” She sassed, she was _definitely_ their father’s daughter, “Daddy was Iron Man, right? He wasn't just Daddy.”  
  
“Yeah…” Peter fumbled with his pyjama trouser leg, “I guess.”  
  
“You’re Petey, and you’re Spider-Man!” She exclaimed, “You’ve gotta save loads of kittens from trees, and stop the bad guys!” She swung the action figure around while mimicking the sound the web-shooters made.  
  
Peter leaned forward, ruffling her hair, “Okay, Morgs. I’ll think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you all believe this is the penultimate chapter? I'm not ready for Thursday, but this whole experience has been amazing and insightful (I feel like I've grown as a writer since starting this) Oh my, I'm going to cry so much!


	133. Epilogue

When Peter had returned to school, Pepper hadn’t been sure if it was the right thing for him. Tony’s face and name were plastered _everywhere_ . On every tabloid, brick wall, and social media profile. She learned on Peter's first day back that the art room was a gallery of work dedicated to Iron Man. Everyone in that school, those who blipped and those who didn’t, knew who Peter was.   
  
They knew what he’d _lost._    
  
She worried that it would be too much for him to process. All the questions and the sympathetic looks. She’d even considered taking him out, and homeschooling him if she had to.

She almost put a pin in Morgan starting Kindergarten. She didn’t want them to grow up in the daunting _limelight_ of Tony’s death.  
  
It wasn’t until she noticed Peter’s attitude switch that she changed her mind.  
  
He started to smile more and even the occasional laugh. _Of course,_ there were the nights where he sobbed his heart out on her shoulder, she expected as much. Grief came hand-in-hand with mood swings.  
  
School wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. Students stared at Peter, in the first few days, but they let it go because they weren’t the idiots that Pepper had expected them to be, they realised that he was a teenager who was going through a difficult time.   
  
If anything, school was Peter’s sanctuary. He was surrounded by his friends, who knew the right things to say and what to do if everything was too much for him. Peter was learned to live, in the wake of what had happened. Spider-Man seemed like a distant memory, but he was finding his feet in a world without his dad; Pepper was sure the masked hero would make a reappearance.  
  
It turned out that Peter adored the art room because he saw how _loved_ Tony was. With Michelle’s drawing skills, he’d been permitted to add pictures of Natasha and Vision to the wall. They were family, and they lost their lives too.   
  
He didn’t add Steve. Even though he passed away over the summer break. Actually, Steve was a grey area. Peter flinched whenever he was mentioned. Steve took advantage of the time machine, and went back, to live a life with Peggy Carter. He didn’t even say goodbye or tell someone what he was planning to do. Pepper didn’t agree with his choice, but part of her _understood_ it. Her heart yearned for Peter because her son did want to patch things up with Steve, he’d spoken about it. He never got the chance, because Steve lived his life, and died of old age. Peter would never get the chance to bridge the gap between them.  
  
Everyone else made it easier. The team were frequent visitors; Ned and Michelle too. No one treated the family like broken glass, which Pepper appreciated.   
  
There was no handbook, or guide, that helped someone whose child died, and then came back. Most days, Pepper felt like a helicopter parent, constantly making sure he was okay.  
  
That was why she had been terrified to let him go back to school. That was five hours a day, five days a week, where she didn’t see him. It felt _intrusive_ but he wore a tracker. It was his idea, to give her peace of mind.   
  
Morgan was days away from starting kindergarten and Pepper was on edge. The idea of her kids were stepping into a new world. Morgan wanted to go, following in Peter’s footsteps. Pepper couldn’t take her away from something she wanted to experience. She already had friends; Clint’s youngest son, Nathan, would be there.  Five-year-olds were less likely to ask big questions about Tony, which was a relief. Morgan wasn’t scared about talking about her dad, she’d probably educate the whole class on him by the end of the year.  
  
“Can you grab the last bag for me, sweetie?” Pepper asked, gesturing the last bag of groceries in the back of the car with her foot.  
  
“Yeah!” Morgan reached in, grabbing the bag. She pressed the button on the side, and the boot closed itself.  
  
“Thank you.”   
  
It was almost four in the afternoon. _So_ , Peter would be home school, and it was a Wednesday, so it was ‘box-set’ night. Which meant they binged a show and ate their weight in Ice Cream.  
  
  
Morgan hurried up the porch steps and pushed the door open, “Petey!” She chorused as she charged in, clutching the grocery bag in her arms, “We’re home!”  
  
Pepper closed the door with her knee, she entered the kitchen and dropped the bags down on the breakfast bar. She let out a breath of relief as she stretched her arms over her head, she’d forgotten that feeding Peter was the equivalent of feeding a family of six.   
  
“Petey!” Morgan shouted up the stairs. Pepper frowned as she leaned to see, Peter never took this long to answer Morgan. When she called, he came running, “Petey!”  
  
Pepper hurried over, “Sweetheart!” She shouted, louder than Morgan had. _Still no reply_.   
  
Morgan’s shoulders deflated as she sighed, she twirled on her foot, and skipped into the kitchen, placing the bag down with the others.  
  
“Peter!” Pepper chorused, dread settled in her stomach. The paranoia that came with having a kid who blipped, was unprecedented. She always thought the _worst._  
  
“Mummy, look.” Morgan tugged on her sleeve, and guided her back to the kitchen, she motioned to the fridge.  
  
Pepper looked up, relief spread across her chest, like a warm hug. There was a note attached to the door, she moved forward, pulling it off to read.  
  
_I’ll be back in time for box-set night!_  
_Love you, Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man._  
  
Tears filled Pepper’s eyes as she smiled. Peter was back out on the streets as Spider-Man. Even though that terrified part of her because of how Tony ended up, she was also strangely _glad_. Spider-Man was part of Peter, and she’d noticed that not going out on patrol, had affected him more negatively than positively. If he thought he was _ready_ , then he was, and she couldn’t be prouder.  
  
“What is it?” Morgan asked, curiously.  
  
Pepper held down the note, and her daughter scanned it. Morgan’s face lit up in an instance, and she flapped her arms around, excitedly, “Friday…” She called as she ran to the table, “Friday, can you show me where Petey is?”  
  
_“Of course, Miss. Stark. Would you like to view his heads up display?”_  
  
Morgan’s eyes widened and she drummed the table, unable to contain her joyousness. She had been waiting for this, since she was little, “Yes, yes, yes!”  
  
Projections popped up all over the room. The footage was live and Peter was swinging through New York, greeting civilians with an exuberant tone and an awkward wave. The people chanted back, more than relieved to see him back in action.  
  
Morgan watched in awe, as her brother swung from building to building.  
  
Pepper circled the breakfast bar and stood with her back up against it. She peered up, out of the window. She knew that Tony was up there somewhere, sporting his goofy ‘told you it would all work out’ smile.   
  
She looked up to the sky, with teary-eyes, she hugged the note close to her chest, “He’s got this.”

**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We MADE IT! WE ACTUALLY MADE IT (I'm crying a lot right now) Thank you for everyone who took the time to read this, because wow, it's super long! 
> 
> If you enjoyed this and want more, don't forget to tune back in this November, for my next project:
> 
>  **a distant lullaby (underneath a shattered sky)**  
>  Tony was a victim of the snap, but Peter survived. 
> 
> He distances himself from the Avengers and concentrates on learning to live in a world without Tony and his best friend, Ned. He manages to balance his life with Michelle, while continuing to be Spider-Man. 
> 
> Five years on, he helps the remaining Avengers on their final stand to undo Thanos’ actions and save the people they lost.
> 
> (Predicted, 40k)


	134. RERELEASE

_Hey everyone!_

Last year, I was new to the fanfiction world and inexperienced, I wasn't sure how everything worked on this site. When I originally published this piece, my chapters were barely 1,000 words, and for such a long fanfiction, it ended up taking up 133 chapters of space! As much as I adored that experience and the comments I received, I know that the length of the chapters was putting people off clicking.

So, I decided to reread, reshape and revamp it, so it will be easier for people to understand the story I was trying to tell. As the chapters are already written, I'll be updating a few times a week. 

I will keep this version up, for the time being, but if you fancy a re-read, here's the link to the updated edition: <https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406203/chapters/53531419>

_Love you 3000,_

Liberty

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you, yes you! Stop. 
> 
> You are free to read on, but I am currently in the middle of republishing this fanfiction with better structure and imagination. 
> 
> I feel like this needed improvement, so I am republishing with longer chapters and better grammar! It's better than this, but you can keep going, I won't stop you but if you are interested in the upgraded edition, here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406203/chapters/53531419


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